Youth take charge at United Nations with #OurUN multi-agency dialogue and social media campaign
“When I look into my future, I see…”
UNESCO and multiple other UN agencies that form the United Nations Asia Pacific Interagency Network on Youth Live are asking young people from around the Asia-Pacific region to fill in the blank on social media using the hashtag #OurUN.
Their responses will form the basis for a discussion between APINY and students from Thailand’s Thammasat University which will take place on Monday 27 November at the UN building in Bangkok.
The discussion will be livestreamed on Thammasat University’s youth-led Facebook page “Ideas”, with the feed shared on the UNESCO Asia-Pacific page, the first APINY dialogue to be streamed on social media.
The dialogue will take place from 2pm-4.30pm on 27 November, with the Livestream beginning at 2.30pm.
Among the agencies that will be represented at the event are UNDP, UNESCAP, UNICEF, UNEP, UNFPA, UNAIDS, ILO, IOM, UN Women and UN Volunteers.
Agencies will also share a range of exciting opportunities for young people to get more involved at the UN in 2018.
More on APINY:
The Asia Pacific Interagency Network on Youth (APINY) aims to increase the effectiveness of UN work in youth development by strengthening collaboration and peer-exchange among relevant UN entities, while respecting and harnessing the benefits of their individual strengths and unique approaches and mandates. APINY is comprised of 6 thematic working groups: Peace building, Urbanization and Localization, Health, Economic Empowerment, Human Rights and Civic Space, and Education, each chaired by UN agencies.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the important role of youth in achieving the agenda, and calls for action against the challenges faced by young people that limit their economic and social inclusion. Globalization has had a profound impact on the lives of young people, causing tension between traditional and modern expectations, values and norms. The support systems that young people have relied upon have eroded because of changing family structures and migration due to education and employment opportunities. These challenges are compounded by inadequate access to education, employment, and sexual and reproductive health services. In addition, many young people are left out of decision-making processes, which contributes to their marginalization and exclusion. As a social group, young people face major challenges that are increasing in complexity, with young men and women experiencing them differently.
Yet today, young people are more connected, more creative, more informed and more persuasive than any previous generation. Young people are responding to the challenges of the day with innovative approaches, contributing fresh ideas, creating the world they want, and driving human development for themselves, their communities and their societies. Provided they are given the opportunity to develop their skills through access to education, decent work and adequate health care, and to participate in decision-making processes, young people have emerged as a tremendous resource for development in the region. The youth of today are in a position to contribute to improving the social, political and economic fabric of society.
In light of this, and in order to ensure that young people and their rights and needs are adequately positioned and their development and well being effectively monitored, the APINY will: (i) advocate for, support and review progress on the implementation of youth-related UN resolutions, conventions and the internationally-agreed development goals; and (ii) contribute to increasing the understanding and visibility of the UN system’s work on youth development; and (iii) create mechanisms for young people to take the lead in the design of UN programs and initiatives.
