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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S ENVOY ON YOUTH ANNUAL REPORT 2021

REFLECTIONS FROM THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL’S ENVOY ON YOUTH

As our second year living under the conditions of COVID-19 comes to a close, I remain more convinced than ever of the increasingly urgent need for global solidarity and cooperation. The pandemic has undoubtedly continued to worsen systemic challenges disproportionately facing young people around the world, including the ongoing climate emergency, rising inequalities, disinformation and conflicts, among other critical areas of concern.

Yet, there also remains cause for hope. The silver lining amidst the darkness of these global challenges is that we have a unique opportunity for positive transformational change, and a once in a lifetime chance to recover better together, building a world where no one is left behind.

Moving forward, we must change how we live, work, and make decisions — a sentiment at the very heart of the UN Secretary-General's “Our Common Agenda” report launched this September.

“Business as usual” — which prioritizes short-term gains and profit over long-term benefits and well-being of people and the planet — must be abolished.

We need a “new normal” which is forward-looking and future-based. It is our collective responsibility as leaders, activists, citizens, workers and students of today to make this a reality for both today’s young people and future generations.

Young people worldwide have been calling in all their diversity for this transformational change for years, as they do not have the privilege of waiting for incremental change to happen.

We must listen and work with young people in bringing this change to reality. We must engage them in a meaningful, diverse and effective manner at all levels in the deliberation and decision-making processes affecting their lives, livelihoods and futures. We must move beyond platitudes towards action, concrete commitments and adequate resourcing.

And we must do it now!

To all young people working tirelessly towards the world envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — a more sustainable, just, equal and peaceful world for all — I thank you for your continued perseverance and belief that a better world is possible. It is your optimism and commitment to change that will change the world.

This report summarizes the efforts taken by myself and my team over the course of this year to get us one step closer to realizing that goal, with and for young people everywhere.

I want also to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to all partners and donors of my Office, whose partnership and kind contributions enable us to carry out our essential work.

None of the activities in this report would have been possible without the commitment, passion, drive and expertise of my team, who work extremely hard every day with limited resources to make the UN fit for youth. My deepest gratitude goes out to all of them.

Jayathma Wickramanayake (United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth)

Youth2030 Strategy: Progress and Highlights

Youth2030 Strategy

This year was a milestone year when it came to the implementation of Youth2030, the UN’s first ever systemwide youth strategy. At the heart of these efforts, we continued to spearhead the implementation of and accountability for Youth2030 together with partners across the UN system and young people around the world.

Throughout the year, the Envoy on Youth participated in over 300 events, online and offline. In addition, the Envoy conveyed pre-recorded video messages to over 100 events and social media campaigns where live participation was not possible. These speaking engagements served as a pivotal means to advocate for greater investment in youth empowerment and for the creation of spaces for meaningful youth participation across all areas of Youth2030.

Three years after the strategy was first launched, 2021 saw implementation expand greatly across the UN system, with 44 UN entities and 130 UN Country Teams actively contributing to the strategy.

It also marked the launch of the first Youth2030 Progress Report, alongside the establishment of several other important building blocks for systemwide coordination, performance measurement and accountability.

The Youth2030 baseline for UN Country Teams was established, a portfolio of tools and knowledge products (including analytics) to support implementation was made available, and the UN system started tackling complex issues such as internships, youth workforce and the introduction of a system-wide youth marker. Looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, these will continue to be important areas for development and growth as implementation of the strategy continues to ramp up.

Youth2030 Social Media Highlights

The First-Ever Youth2030 Progress Report

The First-Ever Youth2030 Progress Report

During the ECOSOC Youth Forum, we launched the first-ever Youth2030: Progress Report 2021 with its data companion, the UN Snapshot Series. The report provides rich data and insights on UN’s work for and with youth across all pillars of the strategy.

Key findings of the report include:

  • Across the UN system, there is growing momentum at all levels when it comes to “youth and the SDGs”
  • The UN reform process is clearly reflected in youth programming via a “new generation” UN Country Teams, with clear evidence of joint planning, implementation and coordination with youth across pillars of the strategy
  • Effective tracking of results and resources for youth and transparency of reporting on youth in the UN system needs to be strengthened at all levels
  • Two foundational areas of Youth2030 — internships and youth workforce — need more attention moving forward
  • The UN is delivering well for youth; work with youth varies across UN entities and UN Country Teams, with robust progress visible in some cases and less so in others

Social Media Highlights

#Youth2030 has been used more than 5,700 times on social media over the past year, an 83.9% increase in usage over 2020. There have been over 263,000 engagements with content using #Youth2030, which likewise represents a 48.9% increase over 2020.

ENGAGEMENT, PARTICIPATION AND ADVOCACY

Our Common Agenda

Following consultations with the UN system, partners, thought leaders, and young people — including the Next Generation Fellows — the UN Secretary-General published the “Our Common Agenda” report in September 2021.

The report covers a wide range of recommendations from how we can combat misinformation, to how we can better foster global solidarity, to how we can accelerate meaningful action against climate change. And at the core of all of these efforts, the report calls for a deepening of solidarity with the world’s young people.

In line with the commitment made by Governments in the UN75 Declaration to “listen and work with young people,” youth-related recommendations in the report include:

  • Removing barriers to political participation and measure progress through a “youth in politics” index
  • Establishing a dedicated United Nations Youth Office in the Secretariat
  • A “Transforming Education Summit” in 2022
  • A recovery barometer to track career path and labour market outcomes for youth
  • A high-ambition coalition to promote green jobs and digital-economy job creation
  • A call to prepare recommendations for more meaningful, diverse and effective youth engagement in UN deliberative and decision-making processes, for the consideration of the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and their respective subsidiary bodies
  • The appointment of a Special Envoy for Future Generations
  • A “Summit of the Future” in 2023

We played an active role in gathering thoughts, ideas, solutions and concerns on current and future challenges as part of the consultation process, and we look forward to continuing to work closely together with partners to support the implementation of the recommendations, and to help shape the future of youth engagement at the UN and beyond.

In aggregate, our engagements via social media in the lead up to and alongside the launch of “Our Common Agenda” reached more than 123,000 young people around the world, garnering nearly 6,200 engagements.

Social Media Highlights of the "Our Common Agenda" Launch

10th Anniversary ECOSOC Youth Forum

From 7 to 8 April, the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2021 celebrated its 10th anniversary, convening virtually for the first time due to COVID-19, under the theme of “A Decade of Action: Building a Resilient Recovery.”

Co-organized by together with the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), in collaboration with the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD) and co-convened by the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) and the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO), the event brought together over 19,000 participants from 193 countries — alongside 60 Ministers of Youth or equivalent high-level officials — making it the largest and most diverse gathering of young people at the UN to date.

The Forum livestream amassed nearly 150,000 impressions across all digital channels, with more than 374,000 people visiting the ECOSOC Youth Forum website in the lead up to the event.

The milestone event achieved a potential reach of 82.1 million people via social media, amassing 2.1 million impressions, nearly 61,000 total engagements and more than 15,000 shares of content across all channels. During the Forum, #Youth2030 was used more than 1,800 times and #YouthLead was used nearly 8,000 times.

For speaker insights from ECOSOC Youth Forum 2021, there are 23 young speakers from 20 countries/ areas in the virtual forum’s plenary sessions, among them 75% were women. Asia was the most common region (38%) represented by youth speakers. Refer to “Speakers by region” chart for details.

Speakers by Region

“Leaving No One Behind (LNOB)” is a guiding principle of the 2030 Agenda. In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must ensure to reach those first who are furthest behind. Young speakers in the ECOSOC Youth Forum belonged to some of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups (Refer to “Diverse groups represented by speakers” chart for details)

Diverse Groups Represented by Speakers

100% or all youth speakers were bringing about change at the grassroots level.

Social Media Highlights of the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2021

Media Coverage of the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2021

Re-Watch the Forum Highlights

Highlights of the SDG Media Zone
Quotes from High-level Officials at the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2021

Interactive Photo Filter Campaign

Alongside the Forum, we launched a digital photo filter campaign to encourage young people around the world to join the conversation.

In total, more than 18,000 people from 180 countries participated by adding their photo, achieving a total reach of over 4.1 million on social media.

Over 70% of the participants were under the age of 34, with a relatively equal gender split.

The Cheerity Photo Filter Campaign Website
Social Media Highlights of the Photo Filter Campaign

Meet 23 Young People Leading Resilient Recovery in the Decade of Action

To amplify the work of the 23 young people who spoke at the plenary sessions of the Youth Forum, we launched a blog series called “Meet 23 Young People Leading Resilient Recovery in the Decade of Action.”

76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76)

Convened by the UN Secretary-General, this year’s SDG Moment at UNGA 76 focused on important discussions around what is needed to bring action to scale when it comes to delivering on the SDGs in this Decade of Action. We were proud to actively bring the voices of youth to these conversations, helping to shape a session featuring young changemakers from Colombia, Italy, Moldova, Nigeria, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Switzerland and Zambia who are working on solutions at the local level.

We also supported the SDG Action Zone 2021, plugging in young changemakers who participated in the event, highlighting the types of solutions, plans and investments needed to positively impact people’s lives and the future of our planet.

Collectively, our engagements during UNGA 76 resulted in a total reach of more than 673,000 across all social media channels.

Young Leaders for the SDGs

Despite that the majority of engagements remained virtual, all of our Young Leaders for the SDGs have continued to use their platforms in creative and innovative ways to promote the SDGs around the world.

2021 was a powerful year for our Young Leaders, who collectively reached over 5.5 million people this past year through their work.

Highlights include Vanessa Nakate serving as the keynote speaker at COP26, AY Young producing and performing the first-ever theme song for an UN entity (FAO), and Satta Sheriff winning the Global Goalkeepers award from the Gates Foundation. Ilayda Eskiatascioglu was recognized as a “woman trailblazer” at the UN by UN Women and the Permanent Mission of Italy to the UN in New York. Jichen Liu’s project Clean Plate reached over 5 million users and he served as a panelist at the Sustainable Development Forum in China — the highest-level event on sustainable development in the country. And this is just scratching the surface of the incredible things the group collectively achieved this year.

For insights from Young Leaders for the SDGs: Class of 2020, 17 Young Leaders are from 17 countries/ areas. Africa and Asia (5 out of 17 for each) were the most common regions represented by the Young Leaders. Refer to chart “Young Leaders by region” for details and “Young Leaders by age group” for age disaggregated data.

Young Leaders by Region
Young Leaders by Age Group

Out of the 17 SDGs, SDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities was the most common focus area for the Young Leaders, being worked on by 10 of the 17. The top SDGs, each worked on by at least 20% of Young Leaders, are shown in the chart “Top SDGs worked on by Young Leaders”

Top SDGs Worked on by Young Leaders

Highlights of the Young Leaders

Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

Since launching in 2020, the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change has played an active role in advising senior UN leadership on their approach to climate action and bringing the priorities and perspectives of young people into UN decision-making on climate change.

Throughout 2021, the seven members of the Youth Advisory Group participated in a wide range of high profile events, including:

  • The Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Youth Summit
  • The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Youth Assembly
  • The UN High-level Meeting on Water
  • United States President Biden’s Leaders’ Summit on Climate
  • The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Youth Summit
  • The Capitol Hill Ocean Week
  • The UN Foundation event series “Say It With Science”
  • A UN Security Council Open Debate
  • Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition ahead of Pre-COP 26
  • The World Leaders Summit at COP 26

The group also conducted a series of wide-ranging regional consultations with young people around the world, culminating in a “Outcome Report of the Global Youth Outreach” featuring key summaries of their findings and recommendations for action.

During COP 26, the group organized their first official side event, titled “Post COP 26: Youth-led Climate Action” which brought diverse youth perspectives together with other key stakeholders in attendance at the climate negotiations in Glasgow.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the initiative, we held an Instagram Live conversation with the group, which was accompanied by the official launch of their own joint Twitter account to further amplify their advocacy and outreach to youth around the world.

Over the course of the year, we amplified a wide range of content from the Youth Advisory Group, reaching nearly 535,000 people across all channels, culminating in more than 19,000 engagements and more than 1,000 shares.

For insights from the Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) on Climate Change is consist of 7 young people from 7 countries/ areas. Americas and Europe were the most common regions represented by YAG members (2 out of 7 for each). Refer to “YAG members by region” chart for details.

Americas and Europe were the most common regions represented by YAG members (2 out of 7 for each). Refer to “YAG members by region” chart for details.

YAG Members by Region

Most YAG members were 26 to 30 years old (4 out of 7). Refer to “YAG members by age group” chart for details.

YAG Members by Age Group

Highlights of the Youth Advisory Group on Social Media

Highlights of the Youth Advisory Group in the Media

First Anniversary of Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change
Highlights from the European Consultation
2020 Global Youth Outreach Outcome Report

Reach Not Preach

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure safe digital spaces for young people to share unfiltered opinions on the global climate emergency, we were proud to host a number of youth takeovers via our Reach Not Preach platform again this year.

Reach Not Preach Takeover with Missing Perspectives

As one particular highlight, alongside COP 26, the UN Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change took over the platform to amplify the voices of young people on climate action and bring forward youth perspectives emphasizing the need for meaningful youth inclusion in crucial climate processes.

In 2021, the platform celebrated its 100th article milestone, amassing over 8,500 unique online visitors and a total site traffic of nearly 12,500. On social media, Reach Not Preach takeovers collectively reached nearly 135,000 people, including more than 3,300 engagements and 300 shares.

#YouthLead Innovation Festival

To mark International Youth Day, we convened the first-ever, all virtual #YouthLead Innovation Festival, welcoming thousands of young people from all across the globe.

Over two days, more than 6,000 young people from around the world joined interactive discussions with more than 65 diverse speakers from 42 countries to discuss the importance of innovation and technology to achieve the SDGs and support COVID-19 recovery.

Through a variety of interactive sessions co-organized by 17 partners, the Festival focused on six key intersectional themes:

  • Health and wellbeing
  • Climate action and biodiversity
  • Economic empowerment and employment
  • Digital technology
  • Food security; and
  • Education

The Festival itself reached more than 865,000 people via social media, including more than 20,000 engagements and nearly 1,500 shares.

For event insights from #YouthLead Innovation Festival, 6000 people registered to attended from 160 countries/ areas andmost registrants (around 80%) were 15 to 29 years old. Refer to “Registrants by age group” chart for details.

Registrants by Age Group

The event had a total of 66 speakers from 42 countries/ areas. 55% speakers engaged were women, 62% speakers engaged were youth. Meaningfully working with youth is underlined as the foundation of Youth2030. However, recognizing that “youth” is not a homogenous group is paramount. Speakers for the event included young people in all their diversity, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable youth. Refer to “Diverse groups represented” chart for details.

Diverse Groups Represented

Africa was the most common region (30%) represented by youth speakers. Refer to “Speakers by region” chart for details.

Speakers by Region

International Youth Day Highlights

Social Media Highlights of #YouthLead Innovation Festival
Media Coverage of #YouthLead Innovation Festival

#YouthLead Solutions Campaign

In the lead up to the event, we launched a campaign showcasing #YouthLead solutions for the SDGs, featuring youth-led solutions nominated by UN interagency and other partners working in this space. In total, the campaign ran over a five-month period, reaching nearly 460,000 people via social media, including more than 15,000 engagements and more than 1,000 shares.

#YouthLead Solutions Sessions
Highlights of the #YouthLead Solutions campaign on social media

#YouthLead TikTok Takeover

This also marked the first time we created a dedicated TikTok Takeover campaign, inviting young people to submit their innovative solutions and ideas for a better world for a chance to be featured on the @UNYouthEnvoy TikTok page. In total, 64 videos were submitted, and 14 videos were ultimately selected to be shared via our feeds.

Highlights of #YouthLead TikTok Takeover

Staying Safe with Twitter: Youth Activist Checklist

Following a closed consultation process with diverse youth activists from around the world, we partnered with Twitter to develop the first ever “Youth Activist Checklist: Guidance on digital safety and online participation for young people.”

A knowledge resource that’s built by and for youth, the checklist is a youth-friendly tool that aims to educate youth on potential online risk factors, inform young people how to protect themselves and take advantage of existing privacy settings on social media accounts, help them understand how their digital footprint can impact them long-term, and learn what they can do to reduce the potential negative implications.

Launched during the #YouthLead Innovation Festival, the checklist initially reached more than 57,000 people via social media, including another 1,000 engagements and a dedicated “Tweet chat” with @TwitterForGood to launch the document.

Launch of the Youth Activist Checklist

An Updated Brand for the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth

As part of ongoing brand harmonization efforts across the UN Secretariat, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth officially launched a new logo and brand identity in March 2021, bringing the office in closer alignment with the master UN brand.

@UNYouthEnvoy on Social Media

Social media remains a key tool used to meaningfully engage with youth worldwide, especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

At the end of the year, nearly 530,000 people follow and engage with us over our social media channels. We also continue to engage with young people in China via Weibo, supporting the UN’s main account.

Establishing a Presence on TikTok

We also launched a presence on TikTok in January 2021 for the first time. Throughout the year, we shared 80 videos on the platform, amassing more than 2,200 followers and 5,000 likes.

Performance on TikTok

Building on initial activations such as the "TikTok Takeover" during the #YouthLead Innovation Festival and the "United Nations UNveiled" series in collaboration with UN Visitor Services we will continue to explore TikTok as a content sharing platform over the coming years, with a particular view towards further amplifying the voices of diverse young people to reach new audiences.

Youth Dialogues with the UN Deputy Secretary-General

Together with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and partners, we convened a series of virtual Youth Dialogues with the Deputy Secretary-General on a range of thematic issues, including: food systems, gender equality, climate change, innovation, and the inclusion and accessibility of young persons with disabilities, among others.

In total, 47 young people from 28 countries participated as youth speakers in this year’s dialogues, including specific representation of girls and young women, youth working at the grassroots level, young refugees, youth with disabilities, Indigenous youth, LGBTIQ+ Youth, and youth from conflict-affected areas.

For insights from the Monthly Youth Dialogues with the Deputy Secretary General, totally there are 47 young people from 28 countries/ areas and all 7 official regions participating as youth speakers in this year’s dialogues. Asia (26%) was the most common region represented by youth speakers. Refer to “Speakers by region” chart for details.

Speakers by Region

Most of the youth speakers identified as female (70%), the second-highest gender identity was male (28%) and then non-binary (2%) respectively. Refer to “Speakers by gender” chart.

Speakers by Gender

Young speakers in the Dialogues belonged to diverse groups. Chart “Diverse groups represented” shows the 7 vulnerable and marginalized groups represented by the speakers.

INFORMED AND HEALTHY FOUNDATIONS

Supporting the #RaiseYourHand Campaign

As a core component of our advocacy work in support of the education that young people want and need, we were pleased to support the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)’s replenishing campaign this year, which aimed to raise US$ 5 billion for education globally. Between April and July, the Envoy on Youth participated in a series of online events under the banner of #RaiseYourHand.

Social Media Highlights of #RaiseYourHand Events

Calling For a #PowerShift

In June, we supported the Power Shift event co-led by the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and Transform Education, a coalition of young feminist education activists, hosted by UNGEI, together with other partners. The event, conceptualized as an online protest to demand an education that shifts power, was organized on the sidelines of the Group of 7 (G7) meetings.

The event reached over 136,400 people, and garnered nearly 2,300 total engagements and 230 shares via our channels. We also partnered with TikTok to launch a dedicated #EducationShiftsPower landing page, with amassed an additional more than 20,000 views on videos shared by young people.

SDG4Youth Network

This year, we also worked with UNESCO in the establishment of a first-of-its-kind SDG4Youth Network, which aims to serve as a platform for young people and youth organizations to contribute to SDG 4.

More than 1,000 applications were received, and the network was ultimately established following the October launch, welcoming 100 young people working on education-related matters from all regions of the world.

Futures of Education Youth Webinar Series

We also partnered with UNESCO for their Future of Education initiative as part of the “Futures of Education Youth Webinar Series” which aimed to address broad questions around young people’s views on what education systems and schooling might look like in the future.

These sessions ultimately informed the Futures of Education report entitled “Reimagining Our Futures Together” which was launched in November.

International Education Day

To mark the International Day of Education we partnered with the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and the World Organization of the Scouts Movement (WOSM) to hold a virtual event titled “Learning Outside the Box: Education During COVID-19.” The event featured a moderated conversation between the Envoy on Youth and young leaders from Brazil, the United Kingdom and Zambia, highlighting the importance of gender transformative, inclusive and universal quality education.

In the lead up to the event we engaged young people directly over Instagram, gathering their views and thoughts on the topic, reaching nearly 75,000 young people, including more than 2,000 engagements.

World Teachers Day

To mark World Teachers Day, we partnered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on an Instagram takeover. The takeover aimed to simultaneously promote the important work being carried out by UNRWA schools, as well as highlight the pivotal role of teachers by amplifying the work and experience of a young student turned teacher from an UNRWA school. The takeover achieved more than 20,000 impressions, including nearly 600 engagements with the content.

Highlights of World Teachers' Day Takeover

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT THROUGH DECENT WORK

World Youth Skills Day

Every year, we co-organize World Youth Skills Day as an opportunity for young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, and public and private sector stakeholders to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.

In 2021, this celebration was shaped as a virtual panel discussion on “Reimagining Youth Skills Post Pandemic” together with the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka to the UN, and UNESCO and ILO.

World Youth Skills Day 2021 - Reimagining Youth Skills Post Pandemic

We also partnered with Generation Unlimited on a youth takeover of the @UNYouthEnvoy Instagram account to mark the day, where three young people shared their experiences and perspectives on reimagining youth skills post-pandemic. The takeover reached more than 33,000 people, including more than 900 engagements.

World Youth Skills Day Takeover with Generation Unlimited

Land-Based Jobs for Youth

We supported the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in organizing their final “Land-based Jobs for Youth” global webinar, focusing on how young people are using land-based jobs to help them imagine and turn sound and durable land-use business ideas into green and profitable businesses.

YOUTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Protection of Young People in Civic Space

In May, we partnered with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) and the Communications Task Force under the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security to launch a campaign addressing the shrinking civic space for young people worldwide, debunking policy myths regarding protection and youth, and increasing awareness among youth populations on safe participation in civic space.

The campaign ran for six weeks, garnering a reach of nearly 300,000, including more than 9,000 engagements and 900 shares. Content for the campaign was translated into Arabic, French and Spanish.

The campaign led up to the launch of the Global Report on Protecting Young People in Civic Space titled “If I Disappear.” The report is the first of its kind, presenting testimonies from more than 500 young people with diverse backgrounds worldwide, on the types of barriers and challenges they face when they exercise their rights and act as peacebuilders, human rights defenders and community mobilizers in civic space.

Global Report on Protecting Young People in Civic Space
Highlights of the Virtual Event
Social Media Highlights of the Launch of the Report

Highlights from the Report were also featured as part of a "Human Rights Champions" blog series produced by UN Human Rights (OHCHR), where they interviewed young human rights activists featured throughout the original testimonies.

One of the blogs produced by UN Human Rights featured young activists from the Report.

Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Envoy on Youth, in coordination with the Resident Coordinator’s Office and the UN Country Team, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina in November 2021 to promote the role of young agents of change for trust-building and reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans region.

This mission was in line with the approved Executive Committee High-Level Engagement Strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasizing the implementation of Youth2030 as a framework for the UN system to work with and for youth.

The Envoy met with national counterparts, government representatives and young people with an aim to contribute to the joint efforts of the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the UN system in catalyzing youth development and recognizing their invaluable contribution as agents of change for trust-building and reconciliation.

Highlights of Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Photos by United Nations BiH)

International Human Rights Day

To mark International Human Rights Day, we partnered with UN Global Pulse, UN Human Rights and the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology to host a virtual event focused on the myriad of difficulties young people face when navigating digital spaces in support of their activism.

The youth-led discussion aimed to equip young people with useful, applicable information about engaging in strategic online activism to address global crises in a safe and meaningful way. 300 people from 77 countries registered to attend the online event.

Queer Youth Dialogues

In partnership with the UN Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (IE SOGI), ILGA World and the Global Queer Youth Network, we launched the Queer Youth Dialogues as part of our efforts to help achieve a stronger and more powerful LGBTIQ+ youth civil society that is able to realize legislative, cultural and behavioral change that advances their rights and freedom.

Launched on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia in May, the Queer Youth Dialogues constitute a year-long initiative with the aim of building a stronger global youth movement for LGBTIQ+ human rights, with more resources, support and power.

Four high-level intergenerational dialogues took place between July and December, focusing on: meaningful participation at the UN; sexual and reproductive health and rights; intersections between the LGBTIQ+, peacebuilding and climate justice youth movements; and the participation of young LGBTIQ+ people in formal politics.

Highlights of the Queer Youth Dialogues in 2021

The dialogues have featured 18 young LGBTIQ+ speakers from all continents, including support from key partners such as: SheDecides, CHOICE for Youth, the Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security, and the Global Equality Caucus.

The Dialogues have reached nearly 272,000 people via the collective social media channels of the organizing partners, including nearly 8,000 engagements and more than 500 shares. They will run until May 2022.

Social Media Highlights of Queer Youth Dialogues

Mission to Copenhagen: Global Pride Human Rights Conference

In May, the Envoy on Youth embarked on her first mission of the year to participate in the Copenhagen 2021 Human Rights Forum happening in conjunction with the World Pride and EuroGames.

The mission provided an opportunity to engage in discussion with Government representatives, youth delegates, LGBTIQ+ youth activists, networks and organizations from all over the world to discuss strategies for amplifying the voices of young queer activists, highlighting their challenges and facilitating their meaningful participation in decision making processes.

Fearless Future: LGBTIQ+ #YouthLead Campaign

To focus on the ways young lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people are changing the world for the better and leading us all into a fearless future where all young people are safe, loved and empowered to thrive, we partnered with UN Free & Equal to launch the Fearless Future: LGBTIQ+ #YouthLead campaign.

The campaign launched ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in May and ran until International Youth Day in August, with an interim milestone to mark the Stonewall Anniversary in June which is celebrated and coincides with Pride month in many countries.

Highlights of the Campaign on Social Media

The campaign featured more than 30 total unique assets (including two custom videos and a series of GIFs), which were all translated into Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese. In aggregate, the campaign achieved a total engagement level of 4.25 million, amassing over 7.75 million videos views and an additional 13.4 million media views across all social media channels.

The campaign also culminated in the launch of a dedicated microsite featuring specific actions for allies and Government stakeholders to take in support of LGBTIQ+ youth around the world.

Call to Action on Youth & Disability Inclusion

This year, we continued our work mainstreaming disability and youth inclusion to increasingly involve inclusion of young persons with disabilities in all aspects of our programming and advocacy, including, but not limited to, making all virtual meetings and events fully accessible — which has become even more urgent in light of COVID-19 and a transition to digital engagement.

We also facilitated the participation of young people in the 14th Conference of State Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) again this year, and co-organized a high-level side event “Towards Meaningful Inclusion: Participation of Young Persons with Disabilities From Commitment to Call to Action and Compliance.”

Alongside the event, we launched a Call to Action together with partners, building on the outcomes of a global youth consultation. It outlines concrete actions within four priority areas:

  • Establishing inclusive platforms within the UN system;
  • Addressing gaps in engagement of young people with disabilities in the broader youth rights and disability agenda;
  • Recognizing the intersectionality and leadership of the most marginalized young persons with disabilities; and
  • Involving young people with disabilities as equal partners to realize systemic change

Meet 13 Young Indigenous Rights Activists

To mark World Indigenous Day, we partnered with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus and the Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change to highlight the work of indigenous youth who are leading the way in fighting for a more sustainable future for all and implementing the SDGs in their communities. The work was featured in an article entitled “Meet 13 Young Indigenous Rights Activists."

PEACE AND RESILIENCE BUILDING

International Peacekeeping Day

As part of our advocacy efforts related to the Youth, Peace and Security agenda, we supported the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations’s annual campaign for International Peacekeeping Day in May, which was conceptualized this year as a month-long campaign focused on amplifying the work of young peacekeepers.

International Day of Peace

To mark the International Day of Peace in September, we set out to inspire young people to think about what peace means to them and what concrete actions they are taking to build a more sustainable and peaceful world.

We also collaborated with the UN System Staff College and young peacebuilders around the world to co-author an article titled “The Centrality of Youth Inclusive Peace Processes” which was published by the UN Chronicle and translated to all 6 UN languages.

Article published for International Peace Day in the UN Chronicle

6th Anniversary of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda

To mark the 6th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace & Security, we joined a virtual high-level event organized by the Government of Finland, which featured the launch of the world’s first action plan on Youth, Peace and Security.

High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes

To celebrate and acknowledge the powerful role that young people play in building and sustaining peace, we are working with the Governments of Qatar, Finland and Colombia, and other partners including Search for Common Ground, UN DPPA, UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, Education Above All, and UNOY to organize the High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes taking place virtually in January 2022.

The event is designed to be a turning point for the Youth, Peace, and Security agenda by generating political commitments at the global, regional, and national levels and strengthening buy-in for the stronger enabling and sustainable environment for youth-inclusive peace processes. It also aims to report progress at the country-level, where young people have been constructively contributing to formal and informal peace processes.

The programme will be structured across five themes:

  • Youth, Peace & Security in today’s world
  • Moving beyond words
  • Inclusive peace processes
  • Inter-generational trust
  • Youth in their diversity

Stay tuned to our channels in the lead up to the event for more on the ways young people are playing a critical role in building and sustaining peace around the world.

Guidelines for Working With and For Young People in Humanitarian Emergencies and Protracted Crises

The Guidelines for Working With and For Young People in Humanitarian Action and Protracted Crises — officially endorsed by the Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) in November 2020 — were officially launched at a virtual high-level event in February 2021. The Guidelines are about ensuring that young people are at the heart of humanitarian action and play a key role in the design, implementation and monitoring of programmes.

The Guidelines are the culmination of a three year effort spearheaded by UNICEF and the Norwegian Refugee Council on behalf of the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action, which we have actively supported throughout the process. Their finalization and endorsement of the Guidelines is considered a milestone for the humanitarian youth community.

Highlights from the Launch Event of the IASC Guidelines
Highlights from the Launch Event of the IASC Guidelines
Highlights from the Launch Event of the IASC Guidelines
HSIASC Guidelines

SUPPORTING THE UN TO DELIVER FOUNDATIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Fellowship Programme

In line with the vision of ending unpaid internships, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth introduced a new fellowship programme last year, developed in collaboration with UN Volunteers to provide more meaningful and paid employment opportunities for young people at the UN.

This year, the inaugural class of Fellows ended their term, and in June 2021, the selection process for the second class of fellows was launched for the following roles: Youth, Peace and Security; Gender Equality; and Communications and Social Media. We received over 1,500 applications from qualified and passionate candidates from around the world, all eager to contribute to our work with and for youth. On social media, this call for applications reached more than 277,000 people, including more than 17,000 engagements. Four young women were ultimately hired for these roles.

In June, we also hosted a live "Ask Us Anything" over Instagram, where young people around the world submitted questions to our first set of fellows, who shared their experiences working within the UN system.

SDG Youth Dashboard

Through collaboration with the UN Office of Information, Communication, Technology (UN OICT) and Qlik, we developed the SDG Youth Dashboard: an interactive data visualization platform that measures the state of youth in the SDGs. The digital platform aims to effectively track youth indicators across different targets and serves as a relevant resource in addressing youth needs and rights as a key to ensuring sustainable development.

The Dashboard was launched virtually on the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum 2021. The event, which had over 200 registered participants, introduced the SDG Youth Dashboard to the public, including a youth-led demonstration of the use of the tool.

Launch of the SDG Youth Dashboard

Generation Equality Forum

The Generation Equality Forum (GEF) was a global gathering for gender equality, convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France in close partnership with civil society. Commencing in Mexico City during March and culminating in Paris in June, the Forum launched a set of concrete, ambitious and transformative actions to achieve immediate and irreversible progress towards gender equality in the context of building back better from COVID-19.

Over the past two years, we actively worked to ensure young people were at the center of the Generation Equality Forum, ensuring they were in the driving seat of all galvanizing moments and processes, as well as meaningfully represented in the multiple layers of Forum governance. One such example was the Generation Equality Youth Task Force, launched in 2019, which proved to be a key modality for meaningful youth engagement in the Forum process, convened by UN Women.

In February, we participated in a closed High-Level Advocacy Workshop on Access to Justice for Women, co-organized by the Elders and Pathfinders. As a follow-up to the workshop, we authored a blog entry for The Elders on gender-based violence in the context of COVID-19 and the need for justice to maintain young people’s trust in institutions.

Blog on The Elders website on "Changing the narrative on gender justice"

In March, we participated in the thematic session “Generation Equality: Girls’ and adolescents’ participation in building a more equal world” which featured on the official GEF programme.

Our engagements throughout the Forum itself are highlighted in a public-facing microsite.

Social Media Highlights of the Generation Equality Forum and Events During CSW 65

International Women’s Day

To mark International Women’s Day, the Envoy on Youth was featured in CNN’s media compilation on “Women around the world share lessons learned during the pandemic.”

We also supported the interactive and girl-led event “It’s Time to Listen to Girls” organized by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), the largest educational movement in the world dedicated to girls and young women. The event officially launched the online game named “Listen to Girls”, where players through a spinning wheel game can learn more about the sentiments and opinions of girls.

Young Women's Political Participation

In March, we launched a “Call to Action on Young Women’s Political Participation and Leadership” building on the outcomes of a conference on the same topic last year, co-organized with the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU). The Call to Action identifies three priority areas for increasing young women’s representation in politics:

  • Nurturing young women’s political aspirations
  • Supporting young women candidates for political office; and
  • Empowering young women in office & investing in their leadership

On social media, the Call to Action reached nearly 99,000 people, and garnered nearly 5,000 engagements and more than 300 shares.

Young Women's Political Participation

International Day of the Girl

To mark the International Day of the Girl, we joined a campaign by Plan International showcasing how diverse groups of young people can access and use digital space for their advocacy, particularly at the UN. The campaign featured several “Lightning Dialogues” (short, pre-recorded video interviews) between girls or young women advocates and leaders in the UN spaces on specific questions related to girls’ activism, digital access and fostering inclusive participation of girls and young women in decision-making. The Envoy on Youth joined two girl activists from Mexico and Bangladesh for one such dialogue.

Social Media Highlights of Lightning Dialogues

The Envoy on Youth also spoke at the World’s Girls Summit, the Togolese celebration of the International Day of the Girl organized by Plan International and UNFPA. In total, this two-day summit gathered nearly 5,000 online and on-site participants.

#Youth4Climate Live Series

At the start of 2021, we wrapped up the #Youth4Climate (Y4C) Live Series — hosted by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, in collaboration with us and Connect4Climate: World Bank Group. The final two episodes focused on “Driving Adaptation & Resilience” and “Driving Local Action” reaching nearly 104,000 people and amassing nearly 4,800 engagements across all social media platforms, building on the previous success of the series.

#SumItUp Competition

We also collaborated with partners of the #Youth4Climate event to run the #SumItUp competition, which invited youth between the ages of 15 and 29 to submit a one-minute video reflection or a visual infographic on the key takeaways from one of the #Youth4ClimateLive episodes. The winner of the competition took part in the Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition event in Milan event ahead of the 2021 Pre-COP26.

The competition collectively achieved a reach of more than 628,000, including more than 21,000 engagements and 2,000 shares. The competition received over 3,500 votes on social media.

#Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition

Organized by the Italian Government, we were pleased to support the “Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition” event together with UNFCCC, YOUNGO and Connect4Climate: World Bank Group.

Together with YOUNGO, we supported the process in identifying more than 400 participants, between the ages of 15 and 29, were selected out of more than 8,700 applications from 186 countries to participate in the event based on their background in leading climate action in their communities.

The event was structured along four major themes: Youth Driving Ambition, Sustainable Recovery, Non-State Actors Engagement; and A Climate Conscious Society.

On the final day in Milan, the Envoy on Youth facilitated a meeting between youth delegates and Ministers attending Pre-COP 26, where delegates engaged in a discussion with Ministers on the main outcomes of the Youth4Climate event. These outcomes have been further developed into a Youth Manifesto, containing recommendations on each theme.

Highlights of the Mission and Event
Social Media Highlights of #Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition
Youth4Climate Manifesto

Mission to Marseille: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Congress

In September, the Envoy on Youth went on mission to join the IUCN Congress in Marseille, which aimed to improve how the world manages the natural environment for human, social and economic development.

In addition to meeting with the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, the Envoy participated on a panel as part of the Youth Summit, moderated the high-level opening of the Congress, and joined events on human rights environment defenders and an oceans event organized by the UN Special Envoy on Oceans, Peter Thompson.

Social Media Highlights of Mission to Marseille

Global Day of Climate Action Social Media Takeovers

In collaboration with Pass the Mic and Fridays for Future, we leant the @UNYouthEnvoy Twitter and Instagram accounts to young climate activists twice in 2021 to coincide with key milestones for youth networks when it comes to global climate action.

On the Global Day of Climate Action in March, three young activists from Brazil, Costa Rica and Argentina took over our channels, featuring 56 posts, and reaching more than 262,000 people, including more than 800 engagements.

Ahead of COP 26, three other young activists from Kenya, Zambia and Bangladesh took over our channels to coincide with the global climate strikes on the same day. This takeover featured 30 posts exclusively on Instagram, reaching more than 18,000 people, including nearly 490 engagements.

The Envoy on Youth Participating in the Global Climate Strike

COY 16 & COP 26

For the 16th UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY 16) in October, more than 500 hundred young climate leaders from more than 130 countries came together for critical climate discussions ahead of COP 26. We were pleased to actively support in ensuring a successful convening again this year, which is annually organized by YOUNGO (the official Youth Constituency of UNFCCC).

To close out COY 16, young climate leaders from around the world presented the Global Youth Statement: a policy document developed by youth voices globally, which outlines the priority areas for climate action by young people. Synthesizing inputs from over 40,000 young people over several months, the statement covers a number of crucial topics on climate negotiations such as the need for clean and just energy transition, loss and damage financing, technology transfer, adaptation, Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and more. The Global Youth Statement was a foundation for lobbying and advocacy by young people during the climate negotiations at COP 26.

Following these key climate milestones, we partnered with the Focal Points of YOUNGO to co-author an article titled “Keeping 1.5 degrees alive means a better future for everyone” which was published as part of the OECD Development Matters blog series.

Social Media Highlights of COY 16

Youth Delegate Takeover

During both COY 16 and COP 26, we collaborated with youth delegates on the ground to provide a virtual takeover of the @UNYouthEnvoy social media channels, featuring video content from Glasgow. The takeover videos featured 13 different young people, achieving a total reach of nearly 19,000, including nearly 1,100 total engagements.

Youth Delegate Takeover

UN Food Systems Summit

Recognizing that young people are one of the key partners that must be engaged in the efforts and discussions to transform the food system, we worked to ensure young people were included in the UN Food Systems Summit leadership architecture and engaged through the Summit’s five Action Tracks and Champions Network mobilization.

Ahead of the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit, the Envoy on Youth and the Summit Special Envoy Agnes Kalibata hosted an Instagram Live discussion to address importance of youth empowerment for food systems transformation.

Girls in ICT Day

In support of Girls in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Day and the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age, we collaborated with ITU and the UN International Computing Centre on a year-long series of online interviews, titled Talking Tech, by girls and young women in technology in conversation with women in technology that can serve as role models in their careers.

In 2021, the Talking Tech initiative reached its 100th interview milestone, totaling more than 200 girls and women in ICT who have shared their stories on digital transformation, diversity and inclusion.

We also joined ITU for their dedicated TikTok campaign to mark the day, challenging others to share their advice for young women and girls looking to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

HIGHLIGHTS OF ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS WORKING WITH & FOR YOUTH

For more information, contact youthenvoy@un.org and follow us on social media @UNYouthEnvoy.

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