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
Related articles & publications
Open letter: No More Delays, We Want ambitious Climate Targets for 2040
The climate crisis is the top concern for young people across Europe, many of whom are already experiencing the impacts of extreme weather and know they will face even greater consequences in the future. As the European Commission prepares to publish its 2040 climate target on 2 July 2025, we joined forces with Generational Climate Europe and Youth and Environment Europe to call for a high level of ambition, backed by real, domestic climate action.
Hate and discrimination have no place in Europe
The European Youth Forum strongly condemns the Islamophobic harassment and far-right intimidation directed at Muslim participants and FEMYSO (Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations) during the European Youth Event 2025 (EYE), which took place in Strasbourg, on the 13th and 14th of June.
How Lviv and its young people are changing the culture of education
In Lviv, the European Youth Capital 2025, learning has long gone beyond school desks and university lecture halls. It begins where curiosity meets courage: with the desire to explore, try, make mistakes, improve and create something new. It is precisely this vision of education that has shaped one of the key directions of the European Youth Capital 2025 programme, as well as the new Lviv youth strategy, which will guide the municipality’s work on youth in the years to come.