ECOSOC Youth Forum and Commission for Social Development Bring Attention to Youth Poverty and Prosperity

This month representatives from the European Youth Forum took part in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum (30-31 January), and the UN Commission for Social Development (1-10 February) in New York. The ECOSOC Youth Forum was centered on the role of youth in poverty eradication, and promoting prosperity in a changing world. The theme of the Commission for Social Development was “Strategies for eradicating poverty to achieve sustainable development for all,” with a partial focus on youth.

The Youth Forum was active in both events by bringing strong messages to the 129 Member States and 37 Ministers present. These messages included advocacy for social inclusion for young people (read our report here), youth rights and meaningful youth participation in the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) and in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

European Youth Forum also co-facilitated a regional breakout session at the ECOSOC Youth Forum with the Council of Europe, and gave a statement on youth development in the context of the 2030 Agenda during a high-level panel discussion at the Commission for Social Development. Through these activities Dejan Bojanić (Vice-President) and Stephanie Beecroft (Secretariat member) were able to emphasise the work done by the Youth Forum and its member organisations, which included sharing information on the new online tool, the 8 Quality Standards on Youth Policy toolkit.

Other participants of the events, including Ministers and other Member State representatives, made many positive references to the work done by the European Youth Forum by quoting several past and future European Youth Capitals.

Ensuring that progress made from this event is maintained and built upon is a top priority for the European Youth Forum and other participants.

More Information:

• During the Commission for Social Development, a resolution on policies and programmes involving youth was approved. A link to the draft of the resolution can be found here.
• The results of the ECOSOC Youth Forum breakout sessions can be see on Twitter with #Youth2030.

For more information on the ECOSOC Youth Forum, click here.

For more information on the results of the ECOSOC Youth Forum, click here.

For more information on the Commission for Social Development, click here.