A/HRC/35/7 the enemy; quite the contrary, they were positive actors who would not rebel if their rights were guaranteed, empowering them to become positive drivers of change. 17. The representative of VIDES International said that the organization aimed to promote active citizenship among young people and to enable them to become promoters of development, democracy and peace in 42 countries. While efforts continued to ensure the human rights of many vulnerable groups, young people were often left aside in human rights-based policies and interventions. Even worse, they were perceived as the emblem of problems and the cause of tensions both at the local and global levels. Conversely, the impulse to change the status quo was intrinsic to youth and constituted the potential of young people to bring about social change and strengthen human rights in the form of greater justice, transparency and participation. 18. The current reality for many young people was a lack of adequate opportunities, particularly in education and employment. There was general distrust in the rule of law and institutions, which resulted in political disengagement, and in some cases, in young people engaging in violence or extreme politics. The difficulties young people experienced in the enjoyment of their human rights affected not only youth, but also had a strong detrimental effect on society at large. Access to quality education was a major challenge since lack of education affected not only labour, but also the exercise of citizenship by young people and in the long term, durable peace and reconciliation. Youth participation was also a priority; it was important to recognize young people as citizens to be valued and taken into account, especially in decisions affecting them and future generations. 19. At the international level, she recommended: (a) mainstreaming youth rights through existing United Nations mechanisms, such as the universal periodic review and the treaty bodies; (b) issuing a joint general comment or statement by treaty bodies on the application of relevant United Nations treaties to the particular situation of youth; (c) establishing a special procedure on youth to monitor and assess young people’s enjoyment of human rights; and (d) ensuring that youth rights remained on the agenda of the Council by requesting a report by the Advisory Committee or the Office of the High Commissioner. 20. The Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for Central Africa in Yaoundé said that in Africa, young people constituted on average up to 50 per cent of the population, and up to 65 per cent in some countries. The expansion of the youth population over the past 25 years had resulted in challenges in education, training and employment, and youth population growth was expected to continue to increase rapidly in the decades to come. Yet the youth population of Africa was also the continent’s greatest asset, and a number of important political and programmatic initiatives had been put in place to address the youth population and the human rights of young people. Under international instruments on human rights, it was clear that the enjoyment of human rights was an inalienable right of all young people, and that their human rights should be fully realized. In many African countries, however, that remained a pious hope. 21. The challenges facing young people were multifarious; unemployment was a destabilizing factor; gender violence, including sexual violence, was a violation of human rights; the spread of terrorism led to a rise in the risk of radicalization in terms of religious and ideological terms; and there was an overall lack of or weakness in policies for young people. The youth of Africa also faced challenges in terms of poverty, climate change and ethnic and religious conflict, and many countries were undergoing demographic change and poorly managed democratic transitions. Young people were killed and tortured by the armed forces and police of their own Governments, particularly in pre- and post-election periods. 22. UNESCO considered young people as the holders of both responsibilities and rights and sought to create and maintain an environment in which young people could exercise their rights and responsibilities, flourish as human beings, be heard and participate as valued stakeholders and holders of knowledge in specific fields. It was time to step up investment in policies and programmes based on human rights so that young people could be responsible social innovators; a human rights culture was indispensable in that regard, within and beyond education systems. Over the past 10 years, there had been increasing awareness among African youth who were requiring that the rule of law be guaranteed and 6