The World Youth Report: Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, examines the mutually supportive roles of the new agenda and current youth development efforts.
This Report 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, in particular the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and the World Programme of Action for Youth.
The Report considers the role the 2030 Agenda can play in enhancing youth development efforts and examines how evidence-based youth policies can help accelerate youth-related objectives. In doing so, the Report explores the critical role young people have in the implementation of sustainable development efforts at all levels.
More than two years into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, unacceptably high numbers of young people are still experiencing poor education and employment outcomes. In many regions, young women face particular challenges in terms of securing and completing an education.
The Report includes case studies to highlight ways of building successful programmes that address the individual and socioeconomic contexts in which young people actually live, rather than simply repeating the skills-for-employability rhetoric which supposes that there are formal sector jobs available if only young people were not so unprepared.
The Report highlights key elements that help ensure a youth policy is effective, including providing political leadership and strategic vision; securing adequate budget and resource allocations; using timely and accurate data on the situation of young people; utilizing the knowledge, experience and expertise of young people in the design, implementation and evaluation of the youth policy; mainstreaming and integrating youth policies across sectors; taking into account the linkages and impacts of policy objectives; and developing a transparent monitoring and accountability framework.
The World Youth Report emphasizes that the Goals, targets and instruments incorporated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offer increased opportunities to advance youth development objectives in the context of social, economic and environmental sustainable development efforts. However, for these efforts to be successful, much more is needed in terms of political commitment, financing, measurement, data collection, and targeted interventions in support of youth. In the areas of education and employment, large gaps remain in the input needed to realize the Goals and targets set out in Agenda 2030 and complementary frameworks.
More information: https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/world-youth-report/wyr2018.html