United Nations (UN’s) International Youth Day is annually observed on 12th August across the globe to celebrate the potential and contributions of young individuals to society and to create awareness about the problems faced by them globally. The day also aimed to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth.
- The Theme of International Youth Day 2023 observed on 12th August 2023 is “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World“.
Background:
i.The idea for International Youth Day was proposed in 1991 by young people who gathered in Vienna, Austria, for the first session of the UN’s World Youth Forum.
- The Forum in partnership with youth organizations, recommended declaring International Youth Day, especially for fund-raising, to support the UN’s Youth Fund.
ii.In 1998, a resolution proclaiming 12 August as International Youth Day was adopted by the first session of the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, hosted by the Government of Portugal in cooperation with the UN in Lisbon from August 8-12, 1998.
iii.On 17th December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), endorsed the proclamation in its resolution A/RES/54/120 entitled “Policies and programmes involving youth”.
iv.The first International Youth Day was observed on 12th August 2000.
Green Skills for Youth:
i.Green skills are Transversal and Technical skills composed of knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society.
ii.Youth will endure severe climate events longer.
- 7 out of 10 young people want to be actively engaged in the green transition.
iii.Youth will experience significant changes in economic opportunities.
- Climate change threatens 40% of all jobs, that are heavily reliant on a healthy environment.
- By 2030, 8.4 million jobs will be created for young people by the green transition.
- Green jobs lead to more jobs. For each green job, 1.4 more jobs are created.
iv.Skills demand is exceeding supply.
- In 2030, 60% of young people will lack the skills necessary to thrive in the green economy.
v.There are disparities that must be addressed:
- To the Technology divide, 67% of youth do not have digital skills due to the lack of basic resources.
Be Seen Be Heard campaign:
i.The Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and the Body Shop International, England(United Kingdom) based global beauty brand support the “Be Seen Be Heard campaign“, launched in 2022 to increase the participation of youth in political arenas in all 75+ countries, where the Body Shop operates.
ii.The following report is based on the findings of the ‘Be Seen Be Heard Global Youth Survey conducted in December 2021:
- Half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, and this is expected to reach 57% by the end of 2030.
- 67% of people believe in a better future, with 15 to 17-year-olds being the most optimistic about this.
- Globally, only 2.6% of parliamentarians are under 30 years old, and less than 1% of these young MPs are women.
- Some 267 million young people are not in education, employment, or training, among them, two-thirds are young women.
World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY):
i.The UNs’ youth agenda is guided by the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY).
ii.World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, an international strategy adopted by UNGA in 1995, provides a policy framework and practical guidelines for national action and international support to improve the situation of young people around the world.
iii.The WPAY covers 15 youth priority areas and contains proposals for action in each of these areas.
Youth2030, the UN Youth Strategy:
The World Youth Report on “Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in 2018, provides insight into the role of young people in sustainable development in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related frameworks
- According to the report, by 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that make up the 2030 Agenda, the number of youth is projected to have grown by 7%, to nearly 1.3 billion.
Youth 2030 Progress Report 2023:
i.Youth 2030 Progress Report 2023, represents a significant milestone, marking 5 years since the launch of Youth2030, the UN Youth Strategy.
ii.The current report offers a comprehensive overview of the progress in the implementation of Youth2030. By comparing baseline data from the United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) (2020) and UN entities (2021) with the latest reported data in 2022.
2023 Event:
For the official commemoration of International Youth Day 2023, DESA organised a global webinar on 11th August 2023 based on green skills for youth, in collaboration with the UN Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth and Generation Unlimited.
