Not Too Young To Run Campaign

On 22 November 2016, the global campaign Not Too Young to Run (NTYTR) was launched at the first United Nations Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law taking place in Geneva, by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the European Youth Forum (EYF) and Yiaga Africa.

The campaign brought to global scale a movement which started in Nigeria that seeks to elevate the promotion of young people’s right to run for public office and inspire young people everywhere to actively engage in formal politics. In a rapidly changing world where nearly 50 per cent of the population is under 30, but only less than 3 per cent of elected legislators are, this campaign highlights that the active participation of young people in electoral politics is essential to thriving and representative democracies worldwide. The campaign emphasizes young people’s rights to engage fully in the democratic process, including the right of young people to stand for elections. If one is old enough to vote, they should be old enough to run for office. Yet 69 per cent of chambers of parliament continue to impose a “waiting time” between the age to vote and the age of eligibility for office.

Following the launch in 2016, campaign activations took place at national level in various places such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Paraguay and the UK. While further phases of the global campaign were implemented differently, Not Too Young To Run remains a central part of the Envoy’s public advocacy as well as for partner organizations. Young people’s political participation, including their right to run for public office, is a key area for the mandate and to further the agenda, the current Envoy has met with young parliamentarians and other relevant stakeholders on country missions to Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Jordan and South Sudan. 

Although nearly half of the world’s population is under 30, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, globally only 2.6 per cent of Members of Parliament are under 30, and just 1 per cent of these young Members of Parliament are women. While the average age of a world leader is currently 62, in some countries, the minimum age to run for positions in public office is over 40 years old. These numbers show that young people are too often underrepresented and excluded from participating in formal political spaces.

When young people want to take part in decision making spaces they face multiple cultural, structural, financial and legislative barriers. Youth voting patterns are impacted by administrative, legal and financial hurdles, a lack of trust in politicians and institutions, an absence of civic education, as well as a lack of candidates with whom young people can identify.

However, young people in all their diversity have the right to be included in political decision-making as part of the exercise of their human rights. The Not Too Young To Run campaign is an example of a youth led movement trying to ensure that young people are represented in politics as part of their rights to participate in political life.

Sources:

Be Seen, Be Heard, Report, 2022.

Youth participation in national parliaments (IPU), 2021

Check out the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Open Data Platform where you can dive into data on national parliaments – related to their structure, composition and more.

Click here for more information on:

• Data on age for global and regional averages
• Data on age by country

Compare data on parliaments around the world:

Compare the eligibility age to run for public office with the minimum age for voting:

1. Join a local Not Too Young to Run campaign in your country if there is one; if there isn’t, consider starting one! Refer to the ‘How to launch a Not Too Young To Run campaign’ section and ensure you review protection aspects in engaging in such activity.
2. Engage with young Members of Parliaments whether online or in person — many of them are looking for ways to connect with their constituents.
3. Support young candidates who you think would be a good fit in public office. 
4. Create social media cards and join IPU’s “I Say Yes” campaign to help spread the word about age discrimination and the rights of young people to run for office.  
5. Write to your local officials and encourage them to support the legislature to align the age of candidacy with the voting age. NTYTR Template Letter to an MP available here.
6. Ensure to adopt a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach to campaigning which takes into account the reality that particular attention needs to be paid to engaging, bolstering and supporting young persons with disabilities, young women and girls and young human rights defenders through the campaign.

Discover this step-by-step guide to start a local Not Too Young To Run campaign from context analysis and stakeholder mapping to building your argument, developing your advocacy strategy, establishing a leadership structure for the campaign, implementing your action plan and monitoring and evaluation. The guide also includes tips on framing and messaging as well as a template letter to policy makers.

NTYTR campaign initiated by Yiaga Africa, in partnership with:

• European Youth Forum
• Inter-Parliamentary Union
• Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• United Nations Development Programme