Youth at the United Nations: UN Agencies

The United Nations Youth Agenda
Empowering Youth for Development and Peace

Young people everywhere …

Have aspirations and want to participate fully in the lives of their societies.
Are key agents for social change, economic development and technological innovation.
Should live under conditions that encourage their imagination, ideals, energy and vision to flourish to the benefit of their societies.
Are confronted by a paradox: to seek to be integrated into the existing society or to serve as a force to transform it.
Are also a social and demographic group at risk with an uncertain future, even though they represent society's greatest hope.

Below is a short overview of the United Nations concerns and actions for young people. You will find information on our vision of what young people can contribute in society, but also what our sister agencies of the UN are doing.

Empowering Youth for Development and Peace

Young people are a major force in the contemporary world. They are at the forefront of global, social, economic and political developments. In addition to their intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilize support, young women and men have a unique perspective. How our societies progress is determined, among other things, on how much we involve youth in building and designing the future. But in many countries, it has become more difficult for young people to be involved in the life of their societies.

The problems facing youth challenge not only today's societies, but future generations as well. They include: limited resources available for funding youth programmes and activities; inequities in social, economic and political conditions; gender discrimination; insecure livelihoods; high levels of youth unemployment; armed conflict and confrontation; ethnic prejudice; social exclusion; homelessness; continuing deterioration of the global environment; increasing incidence of disease, hunger and malnutrition; changes in the role of the family; and inadequate opportunity for education and training.

At the same time, young people can also be a major resource in the social mobilization needed to combat these very problems. The situation of young people worldwide remains precarious. In both developing and developed countries, the needs and aspirations of youth are still largely unmet.

Economic difficulties experienced in many developing countries are often more serious for young people. Youth are also affected by a growing incidence of substance abuse and juvenile delinquency. In addition, in many developing countries, unprecedented numbers of young people are migrating from rural areas to urban centres.

Although young people in industrialized countries comprise a relatively small proportion of the total population due to generally lower birth rates and higher levels of life expectancy, they comprise a social group that faces particular problems and uncertainties regarding the future — problems due in part to limited employment opportunities.

"No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline."

UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in his address to the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, Lisbon, 8 August 1998.

The World Programme of Action for Youth — A Blueprint for Action

The United Nations has long recognized that the imagination, ideals and energies of young women and men are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. This was acknowledged in 1965 by the Member States of the UN when they endorsed the Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples.

Two decades later, the call by the UN General Assembly for the observance of the 1985 International Youth Year: Participation, Development and Peace drew international attention to the important role young people play in the world, and, in particular, their potential contribution to development and the goals of the United Nations Charter.

That same year, the Assembly also endorsed the guidelines for further planning and suitable follow-up in the field of youth, which are significant for their focus on young people as a broad category comprising various subgroups, rather than a single demographic entity. In 1995, on the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year, the United Nations strengthened its commitment to young people by directing the international community's response to the challenges to youth into the next millennium. It did this by adopting an international strategy — the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond — to address more effectively the problems of young men and women and to increase opportunities for their participation in society. This World Programme seeks to make Governments more responsive to the aspirations of youth for a better world, as well as to the demands of youth to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

The World Programme is a blueprint for action which covers ten priority areas: education, employment, hunger, poverty, the environment, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, leisure-time activities, girls and young women, and the full and effective participation of youth in the life of society and in decision-making. In each of these areas, the Programme looks in depth at the nature of the challenges and presents proposals for action. These ten priority areas are interrelated and intrinsically linked.

For example, juvenile delinquency and drug abuse are often direct consequences of insufficient opportunities for education, employment and participation. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Governments to take the World Programme's recommendations seriously, and to work together with young people for its implementation. Youth and Human Rights The social development of young people can be seen from a rights perspective. The human rights framework at large, ranging from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration on the Right to Development to, for example, a large number of International Labour Organization conventions dealing with labour standards related to young persons, contains ample evidence of the concern expressed by the international community for the rights of young people. The rights of young women and men to education, employment and health have been declared in a variety of international instruments and programmes of action, as well as for specific groups of youth, such as urban youth, rural youth, students, young workers and disabled youth. The right to development is an essential component of the youth development process and is directly related to the other rights mentioned above.

The Global Youth Conferences

The sessions of the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System, along with the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, have served to mobilize the stakeholders of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond: Government ministers responsible for youth and leaders of non-governmental youth organizations. The first World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) focused on implementing the World Programme of Action by adopting the Lisbon Declaration on Youth.

The World Youth Forum of the United Nations System, which was mandated by the UN General Assembly in its resolution 44/59, serves as a channel of communication between youth organizations and United Nations bodies and agencies. The Secretary-General has called the Forum "a splendid example of young people coming together to work out their own agenda, without waiting for Governments to tell them what to do". The first and second sessions of the World Youth Forum were convened in Vienna, Austria in 1991 and 1996; the third session took place in 1998 in Braga, Portugal. The Forum's fourth session was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 6 to 10 August 2001 under the theme "Empowering youth for action". Delegates from youth organizations from around the world will meet with representatives of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental organizations to draw the world's attention to youth empowerment issues and challenges of the 21st century.

The Forum adopted the Dakar Youth Empowerment Strategy, which will include concrete recommendations, strategies and tools to empower young people to participate in decision-making and in evaluation of policies and programmes on key youth issues, in order to ensure action at the local, national, regional and international levels.

See for details on the World Youth Forum, visit: www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/forum

Youth — A Challenge and a Resource

It is widely acknowledged that democratic, tolerant and just societies are only sustained by citizens who can make educated use of opportunities for participation. The Secretary-General has encouraged the involvement of young women and men in decisions relating to their own lives. He stated, for example, that the active participation of young people in the design, implementation and evaluation of youth-friendly health services, drug prevention programmes and the national youth policy has been proven to add relevance and accessibility for the target group — young women and men. Since the International Youth Year was proclaimed in 1985, the UN General Assembly has defined youth participation as including the following components:

Economic participation, which relates to work and to development;
Political participation, which relates to decision-making processes and distribution of power;
Social participation, which relates to community involvement and the peer group;
Cultural participation, which relates to the arts, music, cultural values and expression.

Youth empowerment includes the participation of young men and women not only in decision-making, but also in society, through access to education, employment and health, as well as to resources, such as land or credit. The concept of youth empowerment concentrates on the growing opportunities for young people and their achievements in society, but recognizes that much of the potential of youth is yet to be realized.

The UN: Working for and with Youth

Since its inception, the United Nations has continued to build and strengthen partnerships with young people around the world. Many agencies and organizations of the United Nations system have youth-related policies, projects and programmes to implement the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond. Among these agencies and organizations are the following:

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
Division for Social Policy and Development

The focal point within the United Nations system on matters relating to youth issues is the Youth Unit, in the Division for Social Policy and Development. It has been set up to: enhance awareness of the global situation of youth and increase recognition of the rights and aspirations of youth; promote national youth policies, national youth coordinating mechanisms and national youth programmes of action as integral parts of social and economic development, in cooperation with both governmental and non-governmental organizations; and strengthen the participation of youth in decision-making processes at all levels in order to increase their impact on national development and international cooperation. Among other activities, the Youth Unit promotes global standards on youth; issues biennial reports to the UN General Assembly on the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond; produces periodic publications on youth, including United Nations Youth Information Bulletin and World Youth News; undertakes research such as the Global Situation of Youth; coordinates UN inter-agency meetings on youth and meetings of NGO committees on youth and of intergovernmental youth organizations; and supports basic constituencies, for example through the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth and the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System.

Contact: Division for Social Policy and Development Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2 UN Plaza, DC2-1312 United Nations New York, NY 10017, USA.
Website: www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin

Division for the Advancement of Women

Grounded in the vision of equality of the United Nations Charter, the Division for the Advancement of Women promotes the improvement of the status of girls and women of the world and the achievement of gender equality. The Division is the secretariat for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the UN treaty body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, aimed at ending discrimination against girls and women in all forms. The Division is also the secretariat for the Commission on the Status of Women, responsible, inter alia, for reviewing the progress made in the implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). The Platform seeks to promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women throughout their life cycle. The commitment to empower women and the girl child was re-stated by UN Member States in June 2000, when the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (Beijing+5) identified actions and initiatives to be taken to implement the Beijing Platform for Action fully. Beijing+5 set specific targets to close the gender gap in primary and secondary education by 2005 and to ensure primary education for girls and boys by 2015. It also suggested specific actions to improve girls' access to health, to combat violence against girls, including trafficking and sexual exploitation, and to protect children in armed conflicts.

Contact: Division for the Advancement of Women Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations 2 UN Plaza, DC2-1234 New York, NY 10017, USA.
Web site: www.un.org/womenwatch

Division for Sustainable Development

The action plan adopted by Governments at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Agenda 21, provides the basis of the Division's work in general and its work with young people in particular. This Agenda recognizes children and youth as a major group — that is, a segment of society that has a special and significant role to play in achieving sustainable development — development that improves living standards while protecting the environment. The Division's relevant activities focus on helping young people bring their views and priorities to the annual and inter-sessional meetings of the Commission on Sustainable Development, including its analytical reporting process. An overall strategy is to ensure that joint activities with young people are led by youth themselves. The Division's work with youth and other major groups has generated positive participatory precedents for Agenda 21 follow-up.

Contact: Division for Sustainable Development Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2 UN Plaza, DC2-2262 United Nations New York, NY 10017, USA.
Web site: www.un.org/esa/sustdev or www.johannesburgsummit.org (see also UNEP below).

UN Department of Public Information (DPI)

DPI strives to maintain open channels of communication with youth and carries out public information activities promoting United Nations efforts to improve the situation of young people.

The Department is making a concerted effort to involve more youth non-governmental organizations in its NGO activities. DPI and its network of information centres and services reproduce and widely disseminate international instruments and strategies concerning youth and produce information materials on issues of particular concern to young people, such as poverty eradication, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, the advancement of women and sustainable development. Within the domain of educational outreach, DPI produces information materials aimed at young people, including student leaflets and a student map of the United Nations.

Since the launch of its daily current affairs live radio programmes in the six official languages of the Organization, United Nations Radio broadcasts, every Friday, feature items focusing exclusively on youth-related issues. Some of the issues dealt with recently have included "Children and Armed Conflict" and "Bringing Home the Children," a program on the reuniting of refugee children with their parents. Other DPI activities targeted at youth include the United Nations Cyberschoolbus, an online educational service.

Contact: Department of Public Information (DPI) Development and Human Rights Section United Nations, S-1040 New York, NY 10017, U.S.A.
Web site: www.un.org/news

UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)

Habitat attached great importance to the involvement and contributions of all major groups, including youth, in the preparatory stages and activities of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (Istanbul, Turkey, 3-14 June 1996). The Habitat Agenda, the Conference's action plan, incorporates the inputs and demands of youth, and foresees and guides their future involvement and role in the implementation process. In this context, Habitat, jointly with Youth for Habitat, an international network of youth and youth organizations, is developing a youth programme where activities such as networking can be promoted and supported.

As a follow-up to Habitat II, Youth for Habitat organized a parallel youth programme during the sixteenth session of the Commission on Human Settlements (Nairobi, April and May 1997). During that programme, a three-year plan of action was adopted to guide youth activities which would contribute to the implementation of the Habitat II follow-up. In that regard, the Commission on Human Settlements adopted resolution 16/11, entitled "Contributions of youth to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda". The General Assembly special session to review and appraise implementation of the Habitat Agenda (New York, 6-8 June 2001) included a youth component.

Contact: United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) P.O. Box 30030 Nairobi, Kenya
Web site: www.unchs.org

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

UNODC collaborates with UN agencies to promote and enhance efforts to reduce drug abuse among young people through preventive actions in school and in the community, and to develop comprehensive programmes addressing the health and education of youth at risk. UNODC carries out studies and analyses of demand-reduction measures and strategies that are capable of reaching young people and have a measurable impact on preventing drug abuse. Amongs various other initiatives, the UNODC has also created a network of youth groups for drug abuse prevention aimed at strengthening the capacity of the UN system, Governments and communities to respond to the changing drug abuse patterns and trends among youth. This was achieved by developing up-to-date drug demand reduction and preventive approaches to meet new and emerging trends in drug abuse among young people and by establishing an ongoing dialogue with young people, through a network of programmes that use innovative and effective approaches for prevention of drug abuse by young people.

Since 1998, more than 300 youth groups within the Youth Network in over 40 countries have been participating in activities aimed at training and equipping them to identify and disseminate innovative approaches to drug abuse prevention among young people within their own region and beyond. The Youth Network focuses on communication, capacity building and expansion of the network.

Contact: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna International Centre P.O. Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Web site: http://www.unodc.org/youthnet

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

As the UN development agency with extensive trans-sectoral responsibilities, UNDP focuses on youth programmes in many different dimensions of its work. The Human Development Report addresses educational, health and employment issues facing young people. Programme focus at the country level is concentrated on national priorities, but often is targeted at youth, particularly those living in poverty. One example is the Programme on Prevention of Substance Abuse in South Africa.

The Programme is part of a broader initiative, the Global Initiative on Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse. This initiative seeks to develop and test a model for the prevention of substance abuse and related health and social problems among young people in a range of different geographic sites. Each site represents a project in its own right but is linked to the common aims and objectives of the broader initiative.

Contact: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1 UN Plaza, DC1-2050 New York, NY 10017, USA
Web site: www.undp.org

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP has engaged and worked with young people since 1985. Its global long-term strategy to involve young people in environmental issues, adopted by the Governing Council in February 2003, is called �Tunza�, meaning to treat with care or affection in the east African language of Kiswahili. The strategy aims to engage young people in the work of UNEP and enhance their participation in environment and sustainable development issues.

The strategy includes a variety of activities, which include: Tunza International Youth Conference for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 to share experiences on environmental issues, network and develop partnerships for environmental activities. The next Tunza Youth Conference will take place in Bangalore, India in October 2005.
The UNEP Global Youth Retreat, held in conjunction with the UNEP Governing Council sessions for leaders of environmental youth groups, provides participants with an opportunity to review youth involvement in UNEP and elect the UNEP Youth Advisory Council. The Youth Advisory Council advises UNEP on effective ways of working with young people and represents youth in inter-governmental environmental negotiations. The next Global Youth Retreat will be from 16 to 25 February 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Global 500 Youth Environmental Award recognizes outstanding environmental achievements of young people between the ages of 6 and 21 and is given each year during the World Environment Day celebrations on 5 June. UNEP maintains a network of over 2,000 environmental youth organizations, as well as an electronic network through which environmental information is shared with youth groups in all corners of the world.

A Youth for Sustainable Development Process took place to improve youth participation in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (August 2002) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

UNEP publications for youth include Tunza: Acting for A Better World and a Youth Handbook on Sustainable Development and Pachamama: Our Earth, Our Future - A young people's version of UNEP's Global Environment Outlook 2000 report.

Contact: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) P.O. Box 30552 Nairobi, Kenya
Web site: www.unep.org/tunza

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Within the framework of the UN International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 and the UN General Assembly special session (ICPD+5) in 1999, UNFPA promotes, in most of its programme countries, responsible and healthy reproductive and sexual behaviour among young people, including voluntary abstinence and provision of appropriate counseling and services to reduce substantially all adolescent pregnancies. It also calls on Governments, the international community, NGOs and civil society to promote the right of adolescents to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standards of health, and to establish appropriate programmes to respond to their needs in a holistic and comprehensive way.

Such programmes include information, education, counseling and clinical services for adolescents to promote sexual and reproductive health, eliminate gender-based violence, and prevent sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. UNFPA's future strategic actions in the area of adolescent reproductive and sexual health focus on prevention of HIV/AIDS, including strengthening its support to HIV-related interventions for both in-school and out-of-school youth and adolescents. For young people who are already sexually active, UNFPA will continue to support the development of "youth-friendly" services to help them adopt safer behaviour, including peer education and peer support programmes, particularly for most vulnerable young people, to be undertaken in collaboration with other United Nations agencies and partners such as UNICEF and WHO.

Contact: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 220 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017, U.S.A.
Web site: www.unfpa.org

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is the main department of the United Nations entrusted with the promotion and protection of human rights. The Office services most of the treaty bodies, including the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The first International Conference on Human Rights in 1968 adopted a Final Act, which noted that "aspirations of the younger generation for a better world, in which human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully implemented, must be given the highest encouragement".

The Commission on Human Rights and its Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, which both meet annually in Geneva, have considered items regarding youth and its rights, including the role of youth in the promotion and protection of human rights, conscientious objection to military service, and the rights and freedoms of youth. The Commission and the Subcommission especially examined the latter issue from 1985 to 1992, when the Special Rapporteur of the Subcommission presented his final report.

Contact: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais Wilson CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Web site: www.unhchr.ch

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF supports programmes for and with children and young people that address their rights to health, development and participation in decisions and actions that affect their lives. UNICEF programmes focus on providing young people with information, life skills and access to services within the context of a safe and supportive environment free from exploitation and abuse.

Among the many priority issues, special attention is given to programme activities in areas such as HIV/AIDS, girls' education, violence, gender and situations where children and young people lack family and community support and are especially marginalized. UNICEF works with Governments, UN partners and civil society organizations (CSO), including children and young people's organizations, to address these issues in an intersectoral way. Key programme areas include: national plans and policies; school-based interventions; CSO outreach programmes; and youth-friendly health services. Activities may range from peer-to-peer programmes to working with the news and entertainment media. UNICEF has an interactive internet youth rights project, Voices of Youth (www.unicef.org/voy) which contributes to meeting young people's rights to information and participation.

Contact: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 3 UN Plaza, TA 24 New York, NY 10017, USA
Web site: www.unicef.org . See also www.unicef.org/specialsession

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

UNIFEM is a learning and advocacy organization working strategically for women's economic and political empowerment and gender equality in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Commonwealth of Independent States/Central and Eastern European countries. UNIFEM's programme strategy is designed and guided by an empowerment framework based on promoting women's rights, opportunities and capacities.

Within this framework, UNIFEM focuses on three areas of immediate concern: strengthening women's economic capacity; engendering governance and leadership; and the promotion of women's human rights. In order to achieve these goals, UNIFEM believes that it is critical to develop and support the leadership of young women.

Contact: United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) 304 East 45th Street, 6th floor New York, NY 10017, USA
Web site: www.unifem.undp.org

UN Centre for International Crime Prevention (CICP)

Since the early days of the United Nations, the issues of crime prevention and criminal justice have been the great concern to the Organization. The Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is the principle policy-making and coordinating body of the United Nations, providing guidance in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, including juvenile justice issues. The Commission is serviced by the United Nations Centre for International Crime Prevention, which provides legal advice and assistance to Member States to prevent juvenile delinquency and reform juvenile justice systems, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international juvenile justice instruments, such as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules), the United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines) as well as the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty. Most recently, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and two Protocols, namely, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, which contain provisions relating to the protection of children (General Assembly resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000).

Contact: Centre for International Crime Prevention United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention Vienna International Centre, P.O.Box 500 A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Web site: http://www.odccp.org/crime_prevention.html

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is an unprecedented joint venture in the United Nations family, bringing together the expertise and resources of six of its organizations in the field of HIV/AIDS. The activities of UNAIDS aim to help address the needs of young people in relation to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD).

Together with its co-sponsors (UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank) and other partners, UNAIDS is working towards strengthening national and international efforts in reaching young people through school settings as well as through various community channels. UNAIDS also addresses the needs of youth through activities linked to components of such programmes as "Alleviation of the impact of HIV/AIDS on children, young people and their families" and "Difficult-to-reach and vulnerable populations". The UNAIDS Inter-Agency Working Group on HIV/AIDS and STD Prevention among Especially Vulnerable People and the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Working Group on Communications are also addressing youth needs.

Contact: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 20, avenue Appia CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
Web site: www.unaids.org

UNEsCAP - Electronic Youth Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS

International Labour Organization (ILO)

The promotion of productive employment for young women and men is high on the decent work agenda of the ILO. Its efforts in this field are guided by the recognition that effective policies and programmes are needed to improve their living standards and to facilitate their full integration into society.

The ILO has adopted the following mix of strategies to address the youth employment challenge:

Establishing a framework for promoting decent work for young people through its fundamental Conventions and other Conventions and Recommendations that relate to their employment and protection;
Raising awareness of youth employment issues among its member States. Youth employment was included on the agenda of several sessions of the International Labour Conference, in 1986, 1996, 1998 and 2000;
Undertaking research on youth employment issues, including on innovative and effective policies and practices for enhancing opportunities for young people in employment and enterprises;
Preparing and disseminating user-friendly policy tools and manuals of good practice on youth employment policies and programmes;
Establishing and maintaining databases that provide information on the employment situation of youth worldwide. The Key Indicators Labour Market database, for example, includes gender-disaggregated data on the youth unemployment rate; the ratio of youth unemployment rate to adult unemployment rate; the share of youth unemployed to total unemployed; and the share of youth unemployed to youth population;
Providing technical support to member States in the design and implementation of policies and programmes to address the youth employment challenge;
Advocating at the national, regional and international levels for equality of employment opportunities for all young people and protection for them against discrimination in the labour market.

Contact: International Labour Organization (ILO) 4, route des Morillons CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Web site: www.ilo.org/youth

The Secretary-General's Youth Employment Network

Over 70 million young people are unemployed and many more are struggling for survival on low wages and in poor working conditions, often in the informal economy. Young people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as adults. The majority of the world's young people, 85 per cent, live in developing countries and this figure is growing.

In order to avoid wasting the world's most precious human resources and to build stable and productive societies, a forward-looking strategy to create employment for young people is urgently needed. In light of this realization, the UN Secretary-General, in his report to the Millennium Summit (New York, 6-8 September 2000) entitled, "We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the Twenty-first Century," stated that "Together with the heads of the World Bank and the International Labour Organization, I am convening a high-level policy network on youth employment—drawing on the most creative leaders in private industry, civil society and economic policy to explore imaginative approaches to this difficult challenge." At the Summit, Heads of State and Governments resolved to "develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work" (United Nations Millennium Declaration, resolution A/RES/55/2 of 8 September 2000)."

The objectives of the Network are a) to formulate a set of recommendations on youth employment; b) to disseminate information on good practices and lessons learned from specific past or ongoing youth employment policies and programmes; and c) to identify, for implementation with its partners, a series of collaborative youth employment initiatives. The Secretary-General launched the Youth Employment Network, jointly with the World Bank and the ILO, in July 2001.

The Network has not only provided the Secretary-General with policy recommendations on youth employment to be conveyed to the General Assembly, but furthermore, proposals for putting these recommendations into action through collaborative initiatives to be undertaken in follow up to the Millennium Declaration. Contact: Secretary-General's Youth Employment Network Joint Secretariat Division for Social Policy and Development Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2 UN Plaza, DC2-1378 United Nations New York, NY 10017, USA
Web site: www.un.org/esa/socdev/youthemployment/index.html and www.ilo.org/youth

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

FAO's mission related to young people is to help create, strengthen and expand government and non-government youth development programmes. Given adequate knowledge, skills and resources, youth can play a significant role in helping meet the World Food Summit goal of reducing the number of the world's hungry by one half by the year 2015. The programme encourages the development of essential life skills through experiential learning and income-generating projects and activities.

In recognition of the importance of youth and their potential impact on hunger, FAO created in 1999 a new project called Youth in Agriculture, Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods (2002-2007). Rural youth development in FAO draws on resources and support from the many technical divisions within the organization, including nutrition, gender, agriculture, forestry, natural resources and fisheries. FAO is actively seeking the development of partnerships and collaboration with other UN agencies, international development organizations, potential donors and civil society sharing a common interest of empowering young people in rural areas to become contributing and productive citizens of their local communities, their countries and their world.

Contact: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy
Web site: www.fao.org/ruralyouth

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

In 1999, the "Strategy for UNESCO's Action with and for Youth" was drawn up to guide the Organization's youth policy. It aims at the empowerment of young people, ensuring their full participation in society as equal and reliable partners. To this end, UNESCO seeks to encourage and mobilize support within the Organization, from Member States and from other partners with regard to three equally important domains:

Young men and women's actual presence in UNESCO bodies and at all events organized by UNESCO or its partners;
The incorporation of youth views and priorities and collaboration with young people in the launching of projects and programmes in the areas of UNESCO's competence;
The mainstreaming of youth concerns and issues into Member State's policies in order to create spaces and opportunities for the participation of young people and to give visibility to their contribution.

Youth participation in UNESCO's activities was also ensured by youth forums during international conferences, such as the World Conference on Higher Education (Paris, 1998), the World Conference on Science (Budapest, 1999) and the 29th session of UNESCO's General Conference (Paris, 1999). The recommendations of these meetings resulted in concrete projects implemented in partnership between young people and UNESCO specialists in the domains of higher-education reform, prevention of HIV/AIDS, science education, promotion of the culture of peace and volunteering, among others.

Contact: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 7, place de Fontenoy F-75352 Paris, France
Web site: www.unesco.org/youth

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

The third ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-02), held in March 2002 in Istanbul-Turkey, established The Youth Initiative in the framework of Special Initiatives and in accordance with Resolution 38, instructed the Director of Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT): to seek appropriate means of integrating youth issues into the activities of BDT; to include into the activities of BDT, youth programmes with emphasis on capacity building and to create initiatives of follow-up youth support for the development of ICT capacities of youth.

In answer to the Istanbul WTDC Resolution 38, the Director of the BDT created a Youth Programme concerned with integrating youth issues into its development activities, by including programmes with emphasis on capacity building. The Youth & Gender Unit are also influenced by the concerns and recommendations expressed by young people at the ITU TELECOM Youth Fora as regards to education, technology, promoting peace and development, investment, policy and regulation, etc. The Youth Programme whilst continuing to liaise with ITU TELECOM for the Youth Fora, has launched various projects destined to assist and promote youth, such as the ITU YES (Youth Education Scheme), internship programme, help line, etc.

Young leaders in ICTs network, represents a follow-up Project done by Youth Programme of the World TELECOM Youth Forum Alumni -which allows the young people from all over the world to be in touch with the ITU Development Sector activities and to have the possibility to communicate with each other on topics related to telecommunication or related fields.

For more information about the network, please go to: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/youth/YLinICTs/documents/websiteYLinIct.html

World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO has paid particular attention to developing a conceptual framework for adolescent health and development, especially in relation to problems regarding unwanted and unsafe sex. Other important activities have been in the area of prevention of substance abuse and the development of interventions to build skills and to provide counselling to adolescents, and to promote comprehensive school health and youth-friendly services.

The Adolescent Health and Development Programme of WHO published a brochure entitled "Action for adolescent health: Towards a common agenda", which contained recommendations from a study group on programming for adolescent health convened jointly by WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF. It reviewed the scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of key interventions for adolescent health, highlighted the essential factors and strategies needed to establish, implement and sustain programmes for adolescent health, developed a common framework for country programming and recommended priority actions to accelerate and strengthen programming for adolescent health. Contact: World Health Organization (WHO) CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
Web site: www.who.int

United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

Since 1971, thousands of UN Volunteers — UNV specialists, field workers and national UNV volunteers — have contributed to projects aimed at empowering youth through facilitating their participation in development. These projects include those designed to facilitate access by young people to education and training, including direct teaching in colleges, high schools and universities, and modernizing education systems by development of new curricula, local production of classroom aids, or experimenting with innovative methodologies such as distance education to overcome illiteracy. Some projects promote employment and self-employment for young people, and support vocational training for youth and promote young people's small-scale enterprises. UN Volunteers assist in programmes which promote health among young men and women, including prevention of HIV/AIDS, and fight against drug abuse. Other UNV projects include helping youth overcome difficult post-crisis situations. In view of the vital importance of information and communications for development today, and the ever growing digital divide, especially between the industrialized and the developing countries, UNV has been given the task of implementing UNITeS — the United Nations Information Technology Service — one of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Millennium initiatives. UNV is the focal point in the UN system for International Year of Volunteers, 2001.

Contact: United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Postfach 260111 D-53153 Bonn, Germany
Web site: www.unv.org . See also www.iyv2001.org.

The World Bank

The Children & Youth (C&Y) Team of the World Bank was established in late 2002 within the Human Development Network to guide and foster coordination and partnerships that contribute to more effective children and youth development work at the World Bank.

The Team�s main objectives are:

Providing the World Bank a strategic framework for action in the area of Children and Youth.
Supporting the regions in developing, implementing, and monitoring Children and Youth operational plans.
Improving coordination among sectors, networks, and regional work.
Ensuring consistency with companion development strategies in Human Development, Social Protection, Social
Development, Urban Strategies, Gender, and other sectoral groups.
Providing effective and innovative knowledge management.
Promoting improved Children and Youth learning outcomes across sectors and countries.
Contribute to shaping the Bank�s collaboration on Children and Youth issues with other international agencies and donors.
Raising additional funds.
Facilitating dialogue with children and youth worldwide, especially in developing countries.

For further information, visit http://www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth/ or please contact childrenandyouth@worldbank.org