Meaningful Youth Engagement in the Multilateral System
Voices for impact
Highlights
Does youth participation in multilateral forums have an impact on decision making?
What do young people consider to be the barriers and enablers of meaningful youth engagement?
How do we involve young people in ways that are meaningful?
These are some of the questions at the centre of inquiry for the research presented in Voices for Impact: Meaningful youth engagement in the multilateral system. The report puts a spotlight on the voices and experiences of youth participants at multilateral forums. It deep dives into the true meaning of youth engagement, its key elements and its perceived impact on youth participants themselves, on society and on policy decision making processes.
Key recommendations on meaningful youth engagement include the following:
- To provide support before, during and after youth engagement
- To create enabling environments that empower young people
- To make participation go beyond consultation
- To be inclusive and truly representative of youth voices
- To be accountable
Developed together with youth engagement experts and young people, the report also offers a guidance note on how to meaningfully engage with youth participants in multilateral fora.
Suggested citation: UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Voices for Impact: Meaningful youth engagement in the multilateral system, UNICEF Innocenti, Florence, September 2024.
