Meaningful youth participation is an intentional process of recognizing, nurturing and valuing young people’s vital contributions as agents of positive change. It involves:
- Inclusive partnerships: Engaging youth as equal partners in policymaking and decision-making, spanning every stage of collaboration, from design and planning, to implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
- Intergenerational collaboration: Bringing together diverse stakeholder groups, including youth, in collaborative environments which consider and address power dynamics and other barriers which might otherwise hinder the meaningful participation of youth.
- Sustained engagement: Committing to long-term partnerships with young people, ensuring that their involvement extends beyond one-off consultations and is integrated into continuous decision-making and implementation processes.
- Accountability and feedback: Establishing mechanisms for youth to hold stakeholders accountable and to receive meaningful feedback on how their contributions are utilized, fostering trust and transparency for long-term partnership.
Meaningful youth participation is inherently context specific. While there is no universal formula, following best practices and achieving minimum standards is critical in order to avoid tokenism and "youth washing."
Youth2030, the UN System’s first overarching strategy on youth, and the UN Secretary-General's Policy Brief on Meaningful Youth Engagement both provide guiding principles and criteria for making youth participation meaningful.
Why Does it Matter?
Young people worldwide have highlighted significant gaps in current systems for youth participation in decision-making, citing challenges like tokenism and limited opportunities for impact. In moving systems from superficial involvement to meaningful participation, they expect:
- To be recognized as essential stakeholders in all decisions that affect their lives, not just those labeled as “youth-specific” issues.
- To be included and engaged at every stage of decision-making, from ideation to implementation, rather than being included only when outcomes are announced.
- To see platforms and networks for youth participation evolve into spaces that are more inclusive, representative, agile and impactful.
- To benefit from increasing investments in youth-led solutions and initiatives, recognizing the valuable contributions which young people make at all levels.
Responding to these calls is not only about the meaningful inclusion of young people — it strengthens decision-making overall, builds greater trust in institutions, delivers on global public responsibility, and upholds young people’s rights. It is about smart decisions for our planet, as youth bring innovative, bold and long-term perspectives essential for addressing global challenges and serving the interests of future generations.
With 1.2 billion youth aged 15 to 24 today — and half the world's population under 30 years old — transformative change is impossible without their active buy-in and contributions. The Secretary-General's Policy Brief on Meaningful Youth Engagement, published in April 2023, underscores the importance of strengthening intergenerational solidarity and outlines actionable principles to guide this work, in alignment with Youth2030.
How We Work
The UN Youth Office works as a conduit and convener, leveraging expertise, platforms and reach to disseminate and amplify the visions, recommendations and contributions of youth in all their diversity. We strive to champion meaningful youth participation by creating spaces and mechanisms for youth to collaborate directly with stakeholders at all levels:
- Intergovernmental: Supporting youth participation in intergovernmental bodies, mechanisms, and processes within the UN.
- UN System-wide: Coordinating efforts with and for youth across the UN system, as guided by Youth2030, the UN System’s first overarching strategy on youth.
- UN Youth Office: Ensuring continuous and systematic youth participation in a meaningful way within our own operations, including through the establishment of a Youth Reference Group.
Through these efforts, we amplify the visions, ideas and contributions of young people in all their diversity, emphasizing their central to shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for all.
