NEW YORK, August 12 (IPS) – Today International Youth Day, a global celebration of the transformative power of young people. Introduced by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999, the event was inaugurated not only to demonstrate the power of youth voices, but also the promise of those in power to activate the power of youth. in all areas of development.
Yasmine Sherif Since then, the United Nations has appointed a Special Envoy for Youth, dedicated to spreading the promise of the day, and many aid organizations have followed, including the voices of young people in the Social media campaigns, high-level events and stakeholder forums. In 2021, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the United Nations’ global fund for education during emergencies and protracted crises, has taken the further concrete step of bringing youth into democratic governance and decision-making processes. Scores of youth-led NGOs registered in a newly formed youth constituency and within a few weeks the group became one of the largest , the most active and the most diverse in the fund. In the ECW Executive Committee and High-Level Steering Group, young people are represented for the first time alongside government ministers, heads of UN agencies and civil society organisations. , and private sector leaders – a new example of intergenerational cooperation at the highest levels of humanitarian aid. Another important step forward in the race for youth inclusion occurred when ECW partnered with Plan International to support a group of youth activists through the ‘Educational Youth in Emergency Project’. grant’, a campaign by youth panelists to demonstrate the value of youth participation. As ECW builds momentum towards the Financing Conference in February 2023 with Campaign #222 Million Dreams, we call on strategic partners to include the voices of youth as we collectively mobilize mobilize funding for the 222 million children and young people affected by the crisis worldwide. request urgent educational assistance. Fortunately, there is no shortage of exceptional young people willing to lead the charge. For example, the Global Student Forum has brought together more than a hundred national student federations, including millions of youth activists, and has successfully lobbied governments around the world with its democratic forces. . HD Wright The success of the Kailash Satyarthi 100 Million Nobel Laureate Campaign, a youth-led global effort to end child exploitation, further illustrates the immense value of the grassroots organization. And at the local level, youth-led NGOs have brought change to their communities in significant ways. Aid organizations and professionals have changed the lives of countless young people around the world. By including them, aid organizations can harness their extraordinary resilience and strength, and truly learn from them. Using their reach on social media, young people excel at spreading awareness and engagement worldwide. Just as unknown singers became famous thanks to young people promoting them, previously unknown issues became nationally famous overnight and made a dramatic change. As for fundraising, each young person is surrounded by a community, providing a ready-to-help network. On the policy front, young people affected by the crisis are able to identify their needs with unprecedented ease like no other humanitarian policy expert, as they are experts in life, challenging their own knowledge and opportunities. Young people are smart and have the ability to shape their own future. They have an idealism and a courage that the world desperately needs today. Their unwavering optimism, strong drive, and uncompromising commitment to change will ensure that those futures are not only secure, but better than the present they inherited. ECW can attest to the enlightening and inspiring vitality of young people. Since its inception, the youth constituency has worked actively on behalf of this groundbreaking global fund, providing valuable input and guidance on multi-year programs and emergency responses. first level in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Haiti, Iraq and Mali. With schools closed due to the pandemic, youth persisted, working together to inform aid programs dispersed across crisis-affected countries. The youth electorate even reacts in real time to evolving crises, including the earthquake in Haiti, the worsening crisis in Afghanistan, and most recently the war in Ukraine. . Their contributions play an important role in meaningful projects: since their inception in 2016, ECW’s programs have reached more than 5 million children and young people, providing them with quality support, including educational materials, school meals, mental health programs, and other basic needs. On this day, it is important to observe the strength of young people, and the impactful work that aid organizations have undertaken across the industry. However, celebration and transformation must go hand in hand, to ensure that next year, when International Youth Day returns, we are one step closer to delivering on our original promise to unleash our energy. youth strength. Yasmine Sherif is Education Director Can’t Wait. HD Wright is Youth Representative at Education Cannot Wait
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