Youth Forum launches book on International Law of Youth Rights
The European Youth Forum launched a two-volume book on International Law of Youth Rights on Monday at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
The books compile legal sources from the United Nations, other international organisations and regional conventions on youth rights. The first volume is an updated version of William Angel’s study on international law concerning young people, published in 1996. The second volume expands this work to present-day documents in the field.
The editors of the Revised Second Edition, professor Jorge Cardona from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Jaakko Weuro, Doctor Giuseppe Porcaro and Giorgio Zecca, hope that the book will spark further research and serve as an advocacy tool for those campaigning for youth rights.
“This book is an important stepping stone,” said Johanna Nyman, president of the European Youth Forum. “But it is not enough: we need a convention stating the rights of young people, in order for us to know what our rights are.”
At the moment, only Africa and Latin America have conventions on youth rights.
While some of the rights concerning young people are covered in already existing treaties, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child or treaties on women’s rights, the authors stressed that young people face obstacles specific to their age. According to Cardona, many instruments on youth rights are soft law and not binding regulations.
“The state of the youth affects the peace of the whole planet,” said Giuseppe Porcaro. “This is why youth rights could concern even the UN Security Council.”
The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Italy and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). On Sunday, also the Youth Forum expert group on youth rights hold a meeting in Geneva.
- Giorgio Zecca, one of the editors of the Second Revised Edition
- Delegates from the Youth Forum member organisations
- Delegate from Youth Forum member organisations
- Youth Forum expert meeting on Sunday
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