Policies and Programmes Involving Youth

A/RES/70/127View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 28bSocial development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

18 versions · 1990–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/180

2025A/RES/80/180Policies and programmes involving youthLatestCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/179Policies and programmes involving youthCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/137Policies and programmes involving youthCompare with previous version
2020A/RES/74/121Policies and programmes involving youthCompare with previous version
2018A/RES/72/146Policies and programmes involving youthCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Education Gender Equality Youth Youth Employment Youth Policy

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2017.

2017A/72/190Youth development links to sustainable development report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

25 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on ways to promote effective, structured and sustainable youth participation;

Reaffirms the World Programme of Action for Youth, and emphasizes that all 15 priority areas of the Programme of Action are interrelated and mutually reinforcing;

Also reaffirms the commitment of Heads of State and Government, reflected in the outcome document of the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”,1 to leave no one behind, including youth, and to develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere real opportunities for full, effective and constructive participation in society;

Reiterates that the primary responsibility for implementing the World Programme of Action for Youth lies with Member States, and urges Governments, in consultation with youth, youth-led and youth-focused organizations and other relevant stakeholders, to develop holistic and integrated youth policies and programmes based on the Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to evaluate them regularly as part of the follow-up action on and implementation of the Programme of Action at all levels;

Calls upon Member States to consider, on a voluntary basis, the indicators proposed in the report of the Secretary-General for their selection and adaptation in monitoring and assessing the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth, giving particular attention to young women, marginalized groups and young people belonging to vulnerable groups or in vulnerable situations, taking into account the national social and economic circumstances in each country;

Urges Member States to promote equal opportunities for all, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against young people, including that based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, and to foster social integration for social groups such as young persons with disabilities, young migrants and indigenous youth on an equal basis with others;

Reiterates that the eradication of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, particularly as they affect children and youth, is crucial for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, recalls the commitment to eradicate poverty and promote sustained economic growth, sustainable development and global prosperity for all, including the strengthening of international cooperation through the fulfilment of all official development assistance commitments and the transfer of appropriate technology and capacity-building with regard to youth, and the need for urgent action on all sides, including more ambitious national development strategies, efforts and investment in youth, backed by increased international support and, inter alia, by providing youth with a nurturing environment for the full realization of their human rights and capabilities, in order to realize the opportunity of the demographic dividend offered by the largest number of young people ever in the history of humankind, and calls for the increased participation of youth, youth-led and youth-focused organizations in the development of such national development strategies;

Emphasizes the role of education and health literacy in improving health outcomes over a lifetime, and in this regard encourages Member States to promote health education and health literacy among young people, including through evidence-based education and information strategies and programmes, both in and out of school, and through public campaigns, and to increase the access of youth to affordable, safe, effective, sustainable and youth-friendly health-care services and social services, safe drinking water and adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene by paying special attention to, and raising awareness regarding, nutrition, including eating disorders, obesity and mental health, the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, the prevention of adolescent pregnancies, the effects of non-communicable and communicable diseases, and sexual and reproductive health care, and recognizes the need to develop safe and youth-friendly counselling and substance abuse prevention programmes;

Also emphasizes that addressing the specific needs of young people in the response to HIV and AIDS is a key element in efforts to achieve an AIDS-free generation, and urges Member States to develop accessible, available and affordable primary health-care services of high quality, including sexual and reproductive health care, as well as education programmes, including those related to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, and to strengthen efforts in this regard, including by ensuring the active involvement of young people living with or affected by HIV in the response;

Reiterates that access to quality formal and non-formal education, at all levels, including, as appropriate, catch-up and literacy education, including in information and communications technologies for those who did not receive formal education, information and communications technologies and volunteerism are important factors that enable young people to acquire the relevant skills and to build their capacities, including for employability and entrepreneurial development, and to gain decent and productive work, and calls upon Member States to take the actions necessary to ensure that young people have access to such services and opportunities;

Urges Member States to address the challenges faced by girls and young women, as well as to address gender stereotypes that perpetuate discrimination and violence against girls and young women and the stereotypical roles of men and women that are preclusive of social development, by reaffirming the commitment to the empowerment of women and gender equality and the human rights of all women and girls, and to engage, educate, encourage and support men and boys to take responsibility for their behaviour in this regard, including their sexual and reproductive behaviour;

Also urges Member States to mainstream a gender perspective into all development efforts, recognizing that these are critical for achieving sustainable development and for efforts to combat hunger, poverty and disease, and to strengthen policies and programmes that improve, ensure and broaden the full participation of young women in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life, as equal partners, and to improve their access to all resources needed for the full exercise of all their human rights and fundamental freedoms by removing persistent barriers, including ensuring equal access to full and productive employment and decent work, as well as strengthening their economic independence;

Further urges Member States to address high rates of youth unemployment, underemployment, vulnerable employment and informal employment by developing and implementing targeted and integrated local and national youth employment policies for inclusive, sustainable and innovative job creation, improved employability, skills development and vocational training to improve the chances of integrating youth in the sustainable labour market and increased entrepreneurship, including the development of networks of young entrepreneurs at the local, national, regional and global levels that foster knowledge among young people about their rights and responsibilities in society, and in this regard reaffirms the commitment of Heads of State and Government to develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment by 2020, and encourages Member States to invest in education, support lifelong learning and provide social protection for all youth and request donors, specialized United Nations entities and the private sector to continue to provide assistance to Member States, including technical and funding support, as appropriate;

Emphasizes the importance of the impact of a fair globalization, and encourages Member States to take measures that minimize the negative effects of globalization and maximize its benefits, such as offering relevant education and training for young people in order that they may reach their full personal development, that enable their access to decent jobs and better employment opportunities, in order to meet the needs of changing labour markets, and that enable young migrants to enjoy their human rights;

Recognizes that youth participation is important for development, and urges Member States and United Nations entities, in consultation with youth, and youth-led and youth-focused organizations, to explore and promote new avenues for the full, effective, structured and sustainable participation of young people and youth-led organizations in relevant decision-making processes and monitoring, including in designing and implementing policies, programmes and initiatives, while implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Also recognizes the role of the Envoy of the Secretary-General on Youth and his task of bringing the voices of young people to the United Nations system in the areas of participation, advocacy, partnerships and harmonization identified in his workplan, and encourages the Envoy to continue to work closely with Governments, United Nations entities, civil society, youth organizations, academia and media, by empowering and strengthening the position of young people within and outside of the United Nations system, including by conducting country visits, upon the request of the Member States concerned;

Further recognizes that the international community faces increasing challenges posed by climate change and the loss of biodiversity, which have increased vulnerabilities and inequalities with direct and indirect implications for the well-being of youth, and which could make youth, particularly in developing countries and small island developing States, vulnerable to their adverse impacts, including through suffering disproportionately in labour markets in times of crisis created by climate change, and calls for the enhanced cooperation of and concerted action by Member States with youth in order to address those challenges, taking into account the positive role that the education of youth can play in that respect;

Calls upon Member States to take concrete measures to further assist youth in armed conflict situations, in accordance with the World Programme of Action for Youth, and to encourage the involvement of young people, where appropriate, in activities concerning the protection of children and youth affected by armed conflict situations, including in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and post-conflict processes, and recognizes the importance of protecting schools and universities from military use in contravention of applicable international law during armed conflicts;

Urges Member States to take concerted action, in conformity with international law, to remove obstacles to the full realization of the rights of young people living under foreign occupation, colonial rule and in other areas of conflict or post-conflict situations in order to promote the achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Also urges Member States to take effective measures, in conformity with international law, to protect young people, including youth in marginalized groups affected or exploited by terrorism and incitement;

Further urges Member States to consider including youth delegates in their delegations at all relevant discussions in the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions and relevant United Nations conferences, as appropriate, bearing in mind the principles of gender balance and non-discrimination, and emphasizes that such youth representatives should be selected through a transparent process that ensures that they have a suitable mandate to represent young people in their countries;

Acknowledges the increased collaboration through the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development in developing the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Youth, and requests the United Nations entities, within existing resources, to continue their coordination towards a more coherent, comprehensive and integrated approach to youth development, calls upon the United Nations entities and relevant partners to support national, regional and international efforts in addressing challenges hindering youth development, and in this regard encourages close collaboration with Member States as well as other relevant stakeholders, including civil society;

Calls upon the United Nations Programme on Youth to continue to act as the focal point within the United Nations system for promoting further collaboration and coordination on youth-related matters;

Calls upon donors, including Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to actively contribute to the United Nations Youth Fund in order to facilitate the participation of youth representatives from developing countries in the activities of the United Nations, taking into account the need for greater geographical balance in terms of youth representation, as well as to accelerate the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth and to support the production of the World Youth Report, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to take appropriate action to encourage contributions to the Fund;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session on the implementation of the present resolution, including on the linkages and complementarities on youth issues between the World Programme of Action for Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to be prepared in consultation with Member States as well as the relevant specialized agencies, funds and programmes and regional commissions, taking into account the work done by the United Nations system, and also encourages the Secretariat to consult, as appropriate, with youth-led and youth-focused organizations.

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Who created this mandate?

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What subjects does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What does this mandate say?

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