Policies and Programmes Involving Youth

A/RES/74/121View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 25bSocial development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family, published in 2019.

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?

3 topics

Gender Equality Youth Youth Policy

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2021.

2021A/76/210Policies and programmes involving youth report of the Secretary-General

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

What does this mandate say?

36 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General;

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 and the role that the Commission for Social Development plays in implementing it;

Also reaffirms the commitment of Heads of State and Government in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind, including youth, and the importance of implementing, following up on and reviewing strategies that adequately address youth issues and give young people everywhere real opportunities for full, effective, constructive and sustainable 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 integrated, holistic, inclusive and effective youth policies and programmes, as well as coherent cross-sectoral efforts, 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;

Urges Member States to protect, promote and fulfil the realization and full enjoyment by all young people of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1 and relevant international human rights instruments, in the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth, while ensuring that youth policies and programmes and their planning, design, implementation, monitoring and review include the views, perspectives and priorities of youth and are adequately resourced, transparent and accountable;

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, especially those living in areas of armed conflict, taking into account the national social and economic circumstances in each country;

Stresses the need to strengthen and support the capacity of national statistical offices to design, collect and analyse data disaggregated by sex and age so as to contribute effectively to follow-up, reporting and accountability for the achievement of the youth dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

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, in particular as they affect children and youth, is crucial for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, recalls the commitment to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions 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 and other relevant civil society organizations in the development of such national development strategies;

Emphasizes the role of quality health education and literacy in improving health outcomes over a lifetime, and in this regard encourages its promotion by Member States 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 appropriate 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 sports and physical activity, nutrition, including eating disorders, obesity, mental health and well-being, the prevention, control and effects of communicable and non-communicable diseases, the prevention of adolescent pregnancies, and sexual and reproductive health care, and recognizes the need to develop safe, affordable and youth-friendly counselling and substance abuse prevention programmes;

Also emphasizes the need to implement measures to promote and improve the mental health and well-being of young people, including by scaling up comprehensive and integrated services for the prevention of mental disorders and other mental health conditions, including suicide prevention, as well as treatment for young people with mental disorders and other mental health conditions as well as neurological disorders, providing psychosocial support, including resilience training, while raising awareness of mental health issues and tackling stigma and social pressure, promoting well-being, strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, addressing social determinants of health and fully respecting their human rights;

Calls upon Member States to accelerate efforts to scale up scientifically accurate age-appropriate comprehensive education, relevant to cultural contexts, that provides adolescent girls and boys and young women and men, in and out of school, consistent with their evolving capacities, with information on sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and the empowerment of women, human rights, physical, psychological and pubertal development, and power in relationships between women and men, to enable them to build self-esteem and informed decision-making, communication and risk reduction skills and to develop respectful relationships, in full partnership with young persons, parents, legal guardians, caregivers, educators and health-care providers;

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 infections, 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;

Also emphasizes the right to education, recognizes that investment in universal, quality and inclusive education and training is the most important policy investment that States can make to ensure the immediate and long-term development of youth, and reiterates that access to inclusive, equitable and 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, including pregnant adolescents and young mothers, have access to such services and opportunities, which will allow them to be drivers of sustainable development;

Recognizes the importance of a deep connection between youth and their respective cultural heritage and background as a tool for the establishment of positive relations based on the respect for cultural diversity, leading to peaceful integration also through artistic, cultural and sports initiatives;

Calls upon Member States to accelerate their efforts to close the digital divide and promote innovation among youth by ensuring that information and communications technologies are fully and appropriately integrated into education and training at all levels, including in the development of curricula, teacher training and institutional administration and management, and in support of the concept of lifelong learning;

Urges Member States to intensify efforts to address the high rates of youth unemployment, underemployment, vulnerable employment, informal employment and young people not in employment, education or training 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 facilitate the transition from school to work, and improving synergies between the education and employment sectors to increase the prospects for integrating youth into the sustainable labour market, and through increased innovation and 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 encourages Member States to invest in quality education, support lifelong learning and provide social protection for all youth and to 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;

Also urges Member States to address the challenges faced by girls and young women, as well as gender stereotypes that perpetuate all forms of discrimination and violence against girls and young women, including harmful practices, and the stereotypical roles of men and women that hinder social and personal development, by implementing the commitments 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;

Further urges Member States to condemn violence against girls and young women, including sexual harassment, and reaffirms that they should not invoke any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination and should pursue, by all appropriate means and without delay, a policy of eliminating violence against women, as set out in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women;

Urges Member States to mainstream a gender perspective into all development efforts, recognizing that the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is critical for achieving sustainable development and for efforts to combat hunger, poverty and disease, and to strengthen policies and programmes that seek to improve, ensure and broaden the full, effective and structured 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 of their human rights and fundamental freedoms by removing persistent barriers, including by providing access to quality education at all levels, ensuring equal access to full and productive employment and decent work and strengthening their economic independence;

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

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, 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, and encourages Member States to further promote youth participation in climate action and to consider youth perspectives in decision-making processes on climate change;

Also recognizes that the sharing of family responsibilities creates an enabling family environment for the empowerment of youth, which contributes to development, that youth make a significant contribution to the welfare of their families and that particular attention must be paid to solutions to youth unemployment in order to generate the human and social capital that is essential for social and economic development;

Further recognizes the importance of strengthening intergenerational partnerships and solidarity among generations, and in this regard recognizes the importance of opportunities for voluntary, constructive and regular interaction between young people and older generations in the family, the workplace and society at large;

Recognizes all recent efforts to promote the youth and peace and security agenda, and calls upon Member States and relevant United Nations organs and entities to consider ways to increase the meaningful and inclusive participation of youth in conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, post-conflict processes and humanitarian action, as well as 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 youth, where appropriate, in activities concerning the protection of children and youth affected by armed conflict situations, and recognizes the importance of protecting schools and universities from military use in contravention of international humanitarian law;

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;

Further urges Member States to address legal, administrative, social, economic, digital and cultural barriers that limit young people’s participation and representation, while enabling the capacities, resources, information, technology, support, space and skills needed to empower the free, active, independent, full and effective participation of youth, including youth in vulnerable situations;

Calls upon Member States to develop or maintain, in this regard, preventive measures and remedies for violations and abuses regarding the right to privacy in the digital age that may affect all individuals, including young people, promote digital literacy and technical skills to effectively protect their privacy and take measures to prevent cyberstalking and cyberbullying;

Recognizes that the contributions of young people are important for the full and successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and urges Member States and United Nations entities, in consultation with youth and youth-led and youth-focused organizations, to explore and promote concrete new avenues for the full, effective, structured and sustainable participation of young people and youth-led organizations in relevant decision-making processes and monitoring, in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life, including in designing and implementing policies, programmes and initiatives, in particular, while implementing the 2030 Agenda;

Encourages Member States to include youth delegates in their delegations at all relevant discussions in the General Assembly and its subsidiary organs, 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;

Calls upon the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat 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 including, inter alia, with Governments on the United Nations Youth Delegate Programme;

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;

Acknowledges the increased collaboration through the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development in developing the United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Youth, requests United Nations entities, within existing resources, to continue their coordination towards a more coherent, comprehensive and integrated approach to youth development, calls upon 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;

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

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session on the implementation of the present resolution, including on progress that has been achieved and challenges that still remain, to be prepared in consultation with Member States as well as the relevant specialized agencies, funds, programmes and regional commissions, taking into account the work done by the United Nations system, and encourages the Secretariat to consult, as appropriate, with youth-led and youth-focused organizations.

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