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In Focus: International Youth Day

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people across the world are demanding a fairer, more inclusive world for women and girls.

This year’s International Youth Day highlights the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels, enrich national and multilateral institutions and processes. Moreover, the vast majority of challenges humanity currently faces, such as the COVID-19 outbreak and climate change, require the participation of young people to be addressed effectively. Join #31DaysOfYOUth, a social media campaign celebrating young people. Help strike up a conversation about youth engagement for global action! Additionally, hosts a of dialogue and art.

Youth can be a positive force for development when provided with the knowledge and opportunities they need to thrive.  There are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16% of the global population. Today, they are particularly vulnerable to the economic and social disruptions the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. Young people will form a key element in an inclusive recovery and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during this Decade of Action. However, the response and recovery must be done in a way that protects the human rights of all youth.

launches aiming to equip one million young persons with employability and resilience skills and help them find jobs when youth employment prospects look bleak. The impact of the pandemic on both education and employment has been dramatic. Students enrolled in training institutions and apprentices have been particularly affected by closures as they are dependent on practical training and hardware that is only available in training centres and workplaces.

World Youth Skills Day 2020 takes place in a challenging context. The COVID-19 lockdown measures have led to the worldwide closure of technical and vocational education and training institutions, threatening the continuity of skills development. Currently, more than 1 in 6 young people are out of work due to COVID-19. On 15 July, join the  organized by the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka to the United Nations, together with UNESCO, ILO and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth to discuss the importance of “Skills for Resilient Youth”.

This #YouthOfUNESCO campaign asks you to share your experience of the pandemic, through story or short video.

Youth in Nairobi slum use murals to educate the community about COVID-19

Young People Call for Action at the Migration Youth Forum in Ecuador

Decent Jobs for Youth is the global initiative to scale up action and impact on youth employment in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is a hub for catalyzing partnerships, collaboration and coordinated action grounded in evidence-based strategies.  and its partners' vision is a world in which young women and men everywhere have greater access to decent jobs.

The UN defines “youth” as persons between the ages of 15 and 24. Today, there are 1.2 billion young people, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population. Connected to one another like never before, young people want to, and are already contributing to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress, and inspiring political change. As Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized, “the world needs young people to keep speaking out. Keep thinking big. Keep pushing boundaries. And keep up the pressure.”

Youth Standing Up for Human Rights is the theme of this year’s Human Rights Day (10 December). After a year marked by the 30th anniversary celebrations of the , the United Nations is capitalising on the momentum and is spotlighting the leadership role of youth in collective movements as a source of inspiration for a better future. Under our universal call to action "Stand Up for Human rights," we aim to celebrate the potential of youth as constructive agents of change, to amplify their voices, and to engage a broad range of global audiences in the promotion and protection of rights.

Mountains are home to 15% of the world's population and 25% of the world's land animals and plants. They provide freshwater for everyday life to 50% of humanity. Their conservation is a key factor for our sustainable future; a future where youth will act as the leader and custodian of these natural jewels. Celebrated on 11 December, this year's International Mountain Day theme "" brings a great opportunity for young people to demand that mountains and mountain peoples be central in the national and international development agendas and receive more attention, investments and tailored research.

Maria Alexandrova became Bulgaria's first adolescent living with cerebral palsy to take the prestigious Cambridge Assessment in English. Her advocacy led to the local exam centre agreeing to change the timing of the test and let her use a computer.

The world-famous , where they scored big for its goals of peace (