A/HRC/34/46 inclusion and to ensure that all voices were heard and considered when decisions were being made in order to maximize the participation of people with disabilities at all levels; that would represent a true understanding of democracy as well as recognition that every person had a unique and valuable contribution to make to society. 14. Ms. Ismail spoke about the importance of empowering young women to increase their access to decision-making processes and structures and ultimately to build more democratic, inclusive societies that respected the rule of law and human rights. The empowerment of young women was beneficial for the community as a whole because when young women were empowered, they were able to defend their rights, including the right to access information; that in turn fostered inclusive political and decision-making processes. Women’s marginal role in society, including in decision-making, was the result of a number of structural barriers, including a systematic denial of socioeconomic opportunities and limited autonomy and decision-making power within patriarchal social systems, as well as restrictive social norms and gender stereotypes. Such structural barriers, combined with discrimination based on age, heavily restricted young women’s right to participate in democratic decision-making. In that context, she shared her experience with Aware Girls in increasing young women’s effective political participation by adopting a holistic approach that included wide-ranging capacity-building and mentoring programmes aimed at providing resources to initiatives led by young women and linking those initiatives to policymaking processes, political parties and decision makers. She also stressed the importance of engaging with communities and their leaders to bring about a shift in the norms and values that restricted women’s access to decision-making. 15. Mr. Bojanic recalled that human rights were interdependent and interrelated and that the capacity of young people to participate in decision-making was largely dependent on the extent to which all their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights were realized. He stressed the importance of the right to free, equally accessible and quality education for the development of autonomous, supportive, responsible and committed young citizens. He recalled that Member States were the duty bearers for all human rights and therefore were responsible for the fulfilment of the right to education. Quality education for young people depended fully on how well Governments designed their education systems. Education curricula were often outdated or designed to meet market demands, while quality education had the potential to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to exercise and defend their rights and responsibilities in society, as well as to internalize democratic values. Youth organizations offered an opportunity to foster active citizenship, including by bringing young people of different backgrounds together to work with and learn from each other. Participation was intrinsic to the culture of youth organizations that were youth-led and democratic. By engaging with them, young people were able to develop civic and political competences, thereby fostering a culture of active participation and responsibility from within. 16. In the ensuing discussion, participants recalled that youth were an essential resource for community development and positive social change. They called on States to abide by their legal obligations under international human rights law and to display strong political will to reduce exclusion and ensure accountability for the implementation of youth rights without discrimination, particularly for the most excluded and marginalized young people, such as women and girls, youth with disabilities, indigenous youth, youth belonging to minorities and migrant youth. Addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by youth in exercising their right to participate called for an integrated and comprehensive approach to the promotion and protection of the human rights of youth. In that regard, the right to inclusive, affordable and quality education and the empowerment of young people should lie at the heart of any efforts towards addressing those challenges. 6