The UN Programme on Youth is the focal point on youth within the United Nations. It aims to build an awareness of the global situation of young people, as well as promote their rights and aspirations. The Programme also works towards greater participation of young people in decision-making as a means of achieving peace and development.
We are part of the Social Integration Branch, which falls within the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in the United Nations Secretariat.
You can reach us by email at youth@un.org , fax at 1 212 963 0111. Our mailing address is: 13th Floor, 2 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA.
You can find out more about youth and the United Nations by visiting our Q&A section or learn more about the work of UN agencies on youth issues.
Some questions answered:
- How does the Programme on Youth relate to the UN System as a whole? Answer
- How did the Programme on Youth begin? Answer
- How has the Programme on Youth made a difference? Answer
- What has the Programme on Youth been working on recently? Answer
How does the Programme on Youth relate to the UN system as a whole?
The focal point within the United Nations system on matters relating to youth issues is the UN Programme on Youth, in the Division for Social Policy and Development, United Nations Department of Economic and social Affairs. 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.
We are a very small part of the United Nations!
How did the Programme on Youth begin?
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. The Member States of the UN acknowledged this in 1965 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 UN General Assembly observed 1985 as International Youth Year: Participation, Development and Peace. It 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.
As part of a small reorganization of the Division for Social Policy and Development in 2001, the UN Youth Unit was renamed to the United Nations Programme on Youth. It had no impact on the mandate of the UN Secretariat on youth issues.
How has the Programme on Youth made a difference?
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.
What has the Programme on Youth been working on recently?
The UN Programme on Youth has on-going work on a variety of issues. One important task is a report on the global situation of youth. The most recent report, the World Youth Report 2007 reviews the progress and challenges in youth transitions to adulthood and suggests clearly that although youth face a number of challenges as they try to make the transition into adulthood, many are determined to succeed and are using varied approaches to ensure their “survival.” They are not a passive group waiting for resources and opportunities to be handed to them. In all regions, they want to make a better life for themselves. However, lack of adequate investments in youth, challenges related to globalization, and other changes in the world economy, as well as social and cultural constraints, have often combined to create unfavourable contexts for youth development and participation. An enabling environment for youth development and participation is urgently needed if youth are to attain their full potential and contribute to national development. The UN Programme on Youth is also working to bring together other UN offices working on youth to ensure that the UN system delivers as one in the area of youth development, in an effective and forward-looking way.
We also promote the annual commemoration of International Youth Day, August 12.
There are several other issues currently being addressed, an important one is the youth employment challenge. Increasingly, young people are turning to the informal sector for their livelihood, with little or no job protection, benefits, or prospects for the future. The Secretary-General proposed his vision for a Youth Employment Network at the Millennium Summit in 2000. The YEN is a High-Level Policy Network on youth employment that draws on the most creative leaders in private industry, civil society and economic policy to explore imaginative approaches on the difficult challenge to give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work.