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At the United Nations Summit of the Future, member states will decide how to address today’s global challenges, including climate change, equality, global health, and technology. This raises an important question: shouldn’t young people, whose futures will be most impacted by these decisions, have a central role in the conversation?
In recent months, young people and civil society organisations (CSOs) have voiced their unmet needs and their desire to be included in these crucial discussions. They’ve offered ideas for a more equal world and stressed the importance of their involvement. It’s now essential to turn their insights into concrete actions that drive real change for diverse communities.
More space in global decision-making?
In April, 400 youth advocates and representatives from youth CSOs gathered in Cotonou, Benin, under the UNFPA’s leadership. Despite representing 1.9 billion people globally, young people’s needs remain largely unmet. In response, they developed the Cotonou Action Agenda, calling for urgent action at the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) and the Summit of the Future. Their priorities are clear: preventing sexual and gender-based violence, addressing unmet contraceptive needs, reducing unwanted and teenage pregnancies—the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19—and tackling rising rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. These critical issues demand serious attention and action at the Summit.
A month after this Youth Dialogue, CSOs were invited to discuss their role in the Summit of the Future at the UN Civil Society Conference. While this was a positive step, many CSOs are concerned about the limited space for civil society in these crucial discussions. With restricted engagement, there is a real fear that essential topics like gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) may be overlooked or politicised by member states, neglecting the urgent needs of marginalised communities.
Young people have unique needs. They also have innovative solutions to fulfil these needs. Embracing the realities of young people and keeping them at the forefront to implement solutions, is the need of the time.
Aastha Subedi is acting president for YUWA, a youth-led organisation in Nepal. She speaks out during the global Heart of the Matter campaign.
CSOs and young people offer unique perspectives, innovative ideas, and evidence-based approaches essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, while member states have reserved seats in the negotiation process, CSOs are often left to provide input at short notice, with limited opportunities to speak and insufficient inclusion of young experts and advocates. As states hold the central role in these discussions there’s concern that their commitments may not translate into immediate action.
From tokenism to co-creation
One ongoing challenge in global policy-making is the risk of tokenism—where inclusion appears on the surface but lacks real empowerment and influence. When CSOs are asked for input without clear plans for how their feedback will be used, the legitimacy of the process is called into question. This issue is particularly evident in youth participation. Although more youth delegates are invited to high-level international forums, their contributions are often scripted, limiting genuine and impactful engagement.
Another concern is the assumption that these young delegates represent all young people in their country. True representation requires including a diverse range of voices, such as those of young people with different sexual identities, those from remote areas, or those with disabilities, who face distinct barriers to SRHR and development.
For the Summit of the Future to genuinely benefit from young people’s perspectives, their involvement must go beyond symbolic gestures. It requires creating structured mechanisms for continuous and meaningful youth engagement throughout the policy development and implementation process.
Let’s commit to prioritising and empowering youth voices, making them integral to the Summit’s Pact for the Future. Their insights and contributions are not just valuable—they are essential to shaping a world where everyone can thrive. Together, we can ensure that the future we build truly reflects the needs and aspirations of all generations.
Curious to learn about the calls to action from youth advocates in sexual health and rights?
Read our Heart of the Matter report to explore the challenges young people face and the solutions available to address them.
