Participation in decision-making is one of the key priority areas of the United Nations agenda on youth. One form of youth participation at the United Nations is through the inclusion of youth delegates in a country’s official delegation to the United Nations General Assembly and various functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council. The youth delegate programme is coordinated by the Focal Point on Youth at the global level, but it is the responsibility of the Member States to establish a youth delegate programme at the national level, and to decide who will represent the young people of their country. The roles of a youth representative varies from country to country, but normally includes providing input to their delegation on issues related to youth and participate in their delegation’s general work through attending meetings and informal negotiations.
To determine if your country has an existing Youth Delegate Programme check the list of youth delegates of previous years.
If your country does not have a programme in place to select a youth delegate, your task will be two-fold:
- First, you have to convince your country on the importance of having a youth representative in its delegation to the UN General Assembly.
- And secondly, once they’ve established the position, you will have to initiate a selection process.
Youth delegates can participate in several intergovernmental meetings at the United Nations. Most official youth delegates participate in the General Assembly, but some also attend functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council.
To have more information about the Youth Delegate Programme and how to advocate to establish one in your country click here