UN Focuses on Young People, Launches “Youth 2030” and “Generation Unlimited”
On September 24, the UN launched a new youth strategy entitled “Youth 2030” in partnership with “Generation Unlimited” on the first day of the 2018 General Assembly.
Youth 2030 focuses on peacebuilding and humanitarian action among the 1.8 billion young adults ages 15–30 worldwide — the largest generation of young people in history. The initiative also aims to appropriately allocate resources in order to “ensure all young people are in education, training, or employment by 2030,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced [1].
“Too often, young people are excluded by development programs, ignored in peace negotiations and denied a voice and a seat at the table,” Guterres continued, stating that the organization’s goals moving forward involve “working with and for young people [2].”
Guterres’ co-chair for the initiative is Paul Kagame, President of one of the youngest countries in the world, Rwanda, where the median age is just 19. “The United Nations cannot be ‘relevant to all people’ without an answer to the aspirations of the world’s youth,” Kagame said, “After all, in developing countries, most of the population consists of young people [3].”
The strategy — described by Guterres as a “multi-stakeholder initiative” — complements the various other partnerships at the UN that already focus on youth empowerment, like those headed by UNICEF and Guterres’ already-successful Youth Envoy [4].
While encouraging young people’s participation in humanitarian action and peacebuilding in their communities, Youth 2030 also aims to shed light on the issues that young people today care about. Climate change, reproductive rights for young women and girls, technological innovation, globalization, and creating just and diverse communities are all issues that upcoming generations are focused on in an unprecedented way.
According to Guterres, the five main areas in which Youth 2030 will provide support are:
1. Opening new routes to engage and involve young people and amplify their voices
2. Strengthening the UN’s focus on young people’s access to education and health services
3. Developing strategies for economic empowerment by focusing on jobs and training
4. Upholding rights and promoting civic and political participation
5. Prioritizing support for young people in crisis and encouraging their participation in peacebuilding processes [5]
The Assembly led by example, inviting young activists and youth representatives to take the floor. Batool Al-Wahdani, a Jordanian doctor representing the International Federation of Medical Students Association, spoke before the panel, asking, “Is it possible to change the world? To end wars? To eradicate poverty? To cure all diseases? To populate new planets?” Her answer to these questions is yes, she says, because she is a young person, one of many in a generation ripe with voices ready to change the world [6].
Following Al-Wahdani spoke UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, and UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake, all of whom head agencies that have pledged their support for Youth 2030 and Generation Unlimited [7].
Many young people from around the world then tuned in for the main event: an address by international K-pop superstars BTS, who became the first K-pop group to ever speak at the UN [8]. The group previously partnered with UNICEF to launch their “Love Yourself” campaign, but they now urge young people to take the next step to have their voices heard: “speak yourself.” The leader of the boy band, Kim Nam Jun (known to fans as “RM”), spoke on behalf of its seven members, stating, “I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, gender identity: speak yourself [9].”
Youtube sensation and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lilly Singh also spoke directly to today’s youth, proclaiming, “This event is for us. It is for the youth leaders in the room, and for all of you watching at home. Young people make up 25% of the world’s population, but we make up 100% of the future [10].” Singh echoed BTS’ message, urging young people around the world to stand up and let their voices be heard.
The event concluded with a reminder of how exciting it is to be a young person today and the slew of endless possibilities for change that stand before our generation. Guterres urged every young person to stake a personal claim to our collective future not just through words, but through action. “Join us,” Guterres implored, “Sign up. Volunteer. Vote. Be part of the solution. We need you as partners and leaders. We need you as we build a peaceful and more sustainable world [11].”
You can follow the initiative with the hashtags #Youth2030 and #GenUnlimited.
References
[1] “Secretary-General Launches United Nations Youth Strategy, ‘Generation Unlimited’ Partnership, Marking Start of Organization’s New Era for Young People.” United Nations, United Nations, 24 Sept. 2018, www.un.org/press/en/2018/sgsm19234.doc.htm.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Eugene Kwibuka. “Kagame Joins ‘Generation Unlimited’ Leaders Group.” The New Times | Rwanda, 24 Sept. 2018, www.newtimes.co.rw/news/kagame-joins-generation-unlimited-leaders-group.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Secretary-General Launches United Nations Youth Strategy, ‘Generation Unlimited’ Partnership, Marking Start of Organization’s New Era for Young People.”
[6] “Batool Alwahdani Nelson Mandela Peace Summit Speech 2018.” YouTube, United Nations, 24 Sept. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwQvYpQknGA.
[7] Kwibuka, “Kagame Joins ‘Generation Unlimited’ Leaders Group.”
[8] Bard Wilkinson. “K-Pop Band BTS Tells World Youth to ‘Speak Yourself’ at UN.” CNN, 25 Sept. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/09/24/asia/bts-un-korea-intl/index.html.
[9] Wilkinson, “K-Pop Band BTS Tells World Youth to ‘Speak Yourself’ at UN.”
[10] “High-Level Event Youth 2030.” United Nations, YouTube, 24 Sept. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTu8anoi9U4.
[11] “Secretary-General Launches United Nations Youth Strategy, ‘Generation Unlimited’ Partnership, Marking Start of Organization’s New Era for Young People.”
