Youth Consultations for the Zero Draft of the Pact of the Future
We - the Informal Working Group on SOTF Youth - want to hear from YOUth! Join us for consultations, capacity-building and connection efforts on the Summit of the Future! Your voice matters and with the Summit of the Future putting the voices of youth in the center, this is a pivotal opportunity to contribute your ideas, perspectives, and recommendations on youth issues at the United Nations and beyond.Big News: The Zero-Draft for the Pact of the Future has been released! Civil Society and member states will have another opportunity to comment on this current outcome document of the Summit of the Future. To do so we the Informal Youth Working Group to the SOTF want to hear your opinion. Join us this Sunday 15:00 CET / 09:00 EST for a youth-friendly introduction to the Summit and it's Pact and help us to push for meaningful youth involvement in it!We wanted to embrace this opportunity as we seek to involve more youth in the drafting process. That being said we are however not involved in any capacity with the organisers or co-facilitators in the SOTF process and encourage you to submit inputs through the official channels!
About the Summit
With the Summit of the Future, the topic of youth participation will be discussed on the highest level. Young people can make a decisive contributions to all the priorities set by the Member States for the Summit of the Future. Be it peace and security, future governance, digital cooperation or sustainable development: young people have proven themselves as changemakers, innovators, and decision-makers, professional partners and experts for their lived reality. This should be reflected in their wide-ranging and structural inclusion across all thematic priorities, so they can advocate for themselves – and our common future.There are many ways to get engaged in the Summit of the Future process. We are in no means affiliated with the official facilitators to the Summit nor the sole youth constituency engaging in it. Any contribution to the process, be it through consultations, submissions or events, helps youth voices to be heard! Find more engagement opportunities here:
Peace and Security
Young people play a key role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts.1 Across the world, young people are tirelessly and successfully engaging in peace efforts2 despite the institutional barriers often still in place.3 As recognized by the Security Council, the mobilization of young people is “critical to the peaceful development of societies”.4 Youth needs to be included in discussions around peace and security – both in the Security Council and beyond.
1 United Nations Development Programme (2022): Spearheading youth engagement for peace in conflict and crisis-affected societies, Thematic paper for the Report by the Secretary-General on Youth, Peace and Security.2 United Network of Young Peacebuilders (2017): The Missing Peace, A Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security, Independent Progress Study On Youth, Peace and Security, p. xi.3 United Nations System Staff College (2023): The Youth, Peace and Security Primer. Online Course.4 Maintenance of international peace and security, adopted by the Security Council at its 7573rd meeting, on 9 December 2015, UN Doc. S/RES/2250 (2015).Illustration by eukalyp (The Noun Project)
Sustainable Development
Youth has been recognized as “torchbearers” for the Sustainable Development Goals,5 and have been active in the implementation, follow-up and review of the Agenda 2030.6 Championing innovative solutions and pushing for societal change.7 At the same time, youth would be most acutely affected by a failure of achieving the goals.8 Their inclusion is therefore crucial for our common success.
5 United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth (2023): Torchbearers for the SDGs. Consultations on Meaningful Youth Engagement and the 2030 Agenda. Outcome Document.6 United Nations Department on Economic and Social Affairs (2018): World Youth Report, Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.7 Office of the Secretary-General (2023): Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 3, Meaningful Youth Engagement in Policymaking and Decision-making Processes, p. 6.8 Policies and programmes involving youth, Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 16 December 2021, at its 76th session, UN Doc. A/RES/76/137 (6 January 2022), para. 26.Illustration by eukalyp (The Noun Project)
Digital Cooperation
Over 75% of young people are online. As digital natives,9 they are part of the most globally connected generation in history.10 But access to digital services remains a driving factor of inequality.11 Whether it’s about bridging the digital divide or addressing data privacy concerns,12 young people should be able to advocate for themselves – both as experts and as changemakers.
9 International Telecommunication Union (2022): Measuring digital development, Facts and Figures 2022.10 Office of the Secretary-General (2023): Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 8, Information Integrity on Digital Platforms, p. 11.11 United Nations Department on Economic and Social Affairs (2020): World Youth Report, Youth Social Entrepreneurship and the 2030 Agenda, p. 101.12 Internet Society Youth Standing Group (2023): Youth Perspectives on the Global Digital Compact, Contribution to the United Nations Consultation on the Global Digital Compact.Illustration by eukalyp (The Noun Project)
Future Governance
Young people around the world are advocating for their active inclusion in international decision-making.13 Still, administrative and financial barriers persist.14 With over half of the world’s population estimated to be under 30 by 2030,15 a reform of the UN system should have youth engagement as a core goal16 to ensure inclusive – and representative – access to multilateral spaces.
12 Office of the Secretary-General (2023): Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 3, Meaningful Youth Engagement in Policymaking and Decision-making Processes, p. 3.13Policies and programmes involving youth, Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 16 December 2021, at its 76th session, UN Doc. A/RES/76/137 (6 January 2022), para. 34.14 United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth (2023): Youth 2030, the UN Youth Strategy, p. 4.15 Office of the Secretary-General (2023): Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 11, UN 2.0m Forward-thinking culture and cutting-edge skills for better United Nations system impact, p. 13.Illustration by eukalyp (The Noun Project)
Contact us!
Do you have questions about the event or want to follow-up? Then feel free to reach out to one of the German Youth Delegates:Ilka Essig
[email protected]
+491578 8897629Lew Töpfer :
[email protected]
+49 160 99300554
Illustration by eukalyp (The Noun Project)