The #YouthNow Campaign marks the 20th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth leading up to a special event of the General Assembly on May 29, 2015 commemorating this landmark agreement. The commemoration will be convened by the President of the General Assembly in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

#YouthNow: Driving Global Momentum for Youth Development & Inclusion

The WPAY+20 advocacy campaign (#YouthNow) leverages digital and social engagement, giving the world’s youth a powerful platform to share ideas on development at the heart of decision making. #YouthNow engages a global community in initiatives that inspire people, institutions and governments to celebrate the milestones achieved to date in advancing the global youth agenda, and advocate for further actions to be taken. #YouthNow, launched by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, harnesses the power of social media and innovation to accelerate implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth and to advocate for the full inclusion of youth in the new development process and its implementation. “Your energy, ideals, aspirations, and initiatives are critical to creating a sustainable and equitable development agenda for beyond 2015. […] The power to create the world we want does not just lie in the hands of officials. You as global citizens, you as young people, have the power to bring about deep and lasting change. You have the power to create the world you want.” – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Engage in a global advocacy campaign and tell us why global development is relevant to you, your community, your country and your WORLD!

TAKE ACTION!

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1. BE AN ADVOCATE:

Change your profile picture on social media to raise awareness and inspire actions to further advance youth issues around the world. Don’t forget to tag #YouthNow. Personalize your avatar

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3. BUILD COMMUNITY MOMENTUM:

Mobilize your community and network to participate in the ongoing campaign to help us elevate global youth voices. If you are interested in planning an independent event, please let us know! We encourage you to plan events on local, national, regional and international levels. Event tool kits will be distributed in late April 2015.

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2. JOIN THE WEEKLY CONVERSATION:

At the beginning of each week, we will share information on a different thematic area of development. We want to engage you! Be sure to check un.org/pga/youth each week and follow @UNYouthEnvoy on Twitter to learn more and share your views. Select social media entries from Flicker, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter will be shared on our website. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #YouthNow to link to the campaign.

Why is the World Programme of Action for Youth Important?

The World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) PDF, adopted by the General Assembly 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. The Secretary-Generals’ Synthesis Report on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (2014) notes that in order for the sustainable development agenda to be successful it must be ‘streamlined and employ existing mechanisms and processes’. The success of the Sustainable Development Goals is therefore rooted in ensuring the full and effective implementation of mechanisms such as the World Programme of Action for Youth. 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the World Programme of Action on Youth (WPAY+20). The WPAY remains highly relevant and inspirational, but unfortunately implementation lags behind the commitments made. 2015 is a critical year to generate new ideas on how to revitalize the commitments of Governments and all other stakeholders by looking at ways to link inclusive, participatory and gender-responsive implementation of the WPAY to the post-2015 development agenda.

About #YouthNow

Weekly, in partnership with UN agencies and global stakeholders, #YouthNow will release materials to raise awareness about youth development opportunities and challenges based on the 15 cross-cutting youth priority areas outlined in WPAY, leading up to a month of advocacy in May. The WPAY+20 campaign will come to an end in September 2015, with the General Assembly Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda.

Why is 2015 the Year to Increase Investment in Youth?

Youth development lies at the heart of overall development. As the global community gathers to review progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals and puts forth an ambitious and achievable vision for Post-2015 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is important to ensure that youth priorities and concerns are reflected. The SDGs are important to youth, and young people’s involvement is more crucial than ever in creating a framework for development which places people and the planet at its core.

WPAY+20 (#YouthNow) Campaign Information

WPAY+20 Campaign Partners

WPAY+20 campaign is organized by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in partnership with United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the Office of President of the 69th session of the General Assembly, and in close collaboration with UN entities, international organizations, and youth organizations. Collaborating UN entities include: UNAIDSUNCDF, UNDPUNEPUNESCO, UNFCCC, UNFPA, UNICEFUNIDOUN-HABITAT, UNHCRUN Millennium CampaignOCHAWFP, UN WOMEN, UNWTO, FAO, ILO, ITU, Office of the SRSG on Violence against Children, Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), UN Foundation, Global Poverty Project, and Roll Back Malaria.

Contact

Hazami Barmada, Communications Consultant, Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, barmada@un.org

Links

Calendar

March

  • 2- 7: Full & Effective participation of youth in life of society & decision-making
  • 9- 14: Girls and Young Women
  • 16-21: Education
  • 23-28: Health & HIV/AIDS

April

  • Mar 30- April 4: Employment
  • 6- 12: Hunger & Poverty
  • 13- 19: Leisure-time activities & Intergenerational Issues
  • 20- 26: Environment
  • 27 – May 3 Armed Conflict

May

  • 4- 10: Information & Communication Technology
  • 11- 17: Globalization
  • 18-25: Juvenile Justice & Substance Abuse