![]() The Assembly called on governments, civil society, individuals and communities worldwide to support activities at local and international levels marking the Year. To coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first International Youth Year, the United Nations General Assembly, in December 2009, adopted resolution 64/134 proclaiming the year commencing 12 August 2010 as the International Year of Youth. With a different focus each year, International Youth Day helps bring youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrates the potential of youth as partners in today’s global society. In December 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day. It adopted an international strategy: the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, which directed the international community’s attention and channeled its response to the challenges that would be faced by youth in the next millennium. In 1995, on the tenth anniversary of the International Youth Year, the United Nations strengthened its commitment to young people. Celebration of the Year drew international attention to the important role that young people play in the world, and, in particular, to their potential contribution to development. Two decades later, the United Nations General Assembly observed 1985 as the International Youth Year: Participation, Development and Peace. Member States of the United Nations acknowledged this in 1965 when they endorsed the Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples. The United Nations has long recognized that the imagination, ideals and energy of young people are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. Learn more about the Programme of Action. Adopted by the General Assembly in 1995, it provides a policy framework and practical guidelines for national action and international support to improve the situation of young people around the world. The Programme of Action covers fifteen youth priority areas and contains proposals for action in each of these areas. The United Nations youth agenda is guided by the World Programme of Action for Youth. Learn more about the situation of young people around the world. In particular, young people should acquire the education and skills needed to contribute in a productive economy and they need access to a job market that can absorb them into the labour force. Youth can be a positive force for development when provided with the knowledge and opportunities they need to thrive. By 2030-the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that make up the 2030 Agenda-the number of youth is projected to have grown by 7 per cent, to nearly 1.3 billion.Īs youth are increasingly demanding more just, equitable and progressive opportunities and solutions in their societies, the need to address the multifaceted challenges faced by young people (such as access to education, health, employment and gender equality) have become more pressing than ever. Today, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population. Nonetheless, the operational definition and nuances of the term ‘youth’ vary from country to country, depending on relative sociocultural, institutional, economic and political factors. Many countries also draw the line on youth with regard to the age at which a person is given equal treatment under the law-often referred to as the ‘age of majority.’ This age is commonly 18 in many countries so that once a person attains this age, he or she is considered to be an adult. At the time, it was hoped that the Convention would provide protection and rights to as large an age-group as possible, especially as there was no similar document on the rights of youth. Worthy of note, however, is that Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines ‘children’ as persons up to the age of 18. This statistically oriented definition of youth, in turn, entails that children are considered those persons under the age of 14. All UN statistics on youth are based on this definition, as is reflected in the annual yearbooks of statistics published by the UN system on demography, education, employment and health. This definition, which arose in the context of preparations for the International Youth Year (1985) (see A/36/215), was endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution 36/28 of 1981. ![]() ![]() For statistical purposes, however, the United Nations-without prejudice to any other definitions made by Member States-defines ‘youth’ as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. ![]() There is no universally agreed international definition of the youth age group. ![]()
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