A/HRC/39/33
VII. Initiatives to empower young people in the exercise of their
rights
67.
Many initiatives and good practices are being undertaken by Governments, United
Nations agencies, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) to empower young people and support their rights at the international and national
levels. The following is a selection of examples.
Global, multilateral and regional examples
68.
IPU mobilizes parliaments to encourage greater participation by young people in
political life, including through the establishment of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians.
Not Too Young to Run, a campaign led by the Envoy on Youth in partnership with the
United Nations Development Programme, OHCHR, IPU, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy
Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) and the European Youth Forum, is based on the
premise that if one is old enough to vote, one is old enough to run for office.
69.
The Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, launched in 2016 under the
leadership of ILO, brings together 22 United Nations entities in an effort to expand countrylevel action to promote decent jobs for young people through evidence-based interventions
and knowledge and multi-stakeholder partnerships, contributing to the implementation of
the Sustainable Development Goals and targets relating to youth employment.
70.
The Global Partnership for Education, a multi-stakeholder partnership and funding
platform that aims to strengthen education systems in developing countries, engages with
youth advocates from the local to the global levels.
71.
International Youth Day is commemorated on 12 August and focuses on a particular
theme every year. To commemorate the Day, youth around the world are encouraged to
organize activities to raise awareness about the topic and the situation of youth in the
country.
72.
The Envoy’s platform for advocacy and information sharing through social media,
Opportunities for Youth, is a useful tool for providing information on various opportunities
for youth involvement, engagement and participation at the international, regional and
national levels, including youth events, contests, conferences and university programmes.
73.
The Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals are 17 young people
recognized for their outstanding leadership in efforts to contribute to the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 were selected from more than 18,000 nominations
and work with the Office of the Envoy on Youth on global efforts to raise awareness and
engage young people in the realization of the Goals. There have also been a growing
number of initiatives to strengthen the inclusion of youth in the high-level political forum
on sustainable development and follow-up to the 2030 Agenda.
74.
The United Nations youth delegate programme allows for young people to
participate at the United Nations through the inclusion of youth delegates in a country’s
official delegation to the General Assembly and various functional commissions of the
Economic and Social Council.
75.
The Economic and Social Council Youth Forum provides an annual platform for
youth to engage in dialogue with Member States and contribute to the formulation of
economic and social policy. Young people and representatives of youth-led and youthfocused organizations attend the annual Youth Forum. In addition, an NGO-led youth
forum coordinated by YWCA has been organized in the past years, before the session of the
Human Rights Council held in June.
76.
In the European Union, the Erasmus plus programme, the programme for education,
training, youth and sport, aims to provide over 4 million European students with the
opportunity to gain competencies and for personal, socioeducational and professional
development through study, training, work experience or volunteering abroad. The Youth
Guarantee is another programme that aims to ease the transition from education to
employment by ensuring that all young people under the age of 25 receive a good-quality
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