LocationsThis is the largest generation of young people in history: 1.45 billion people worldwide are between 18 and 29 years old.
The voices of the youth, for the people and the planet
August 8, 2024
PNUD Colombia
Young people face a world with multiple crises and challenges: conflicts, inequality, violence, climate change, and biodiversity loss, among others. Today, the global population is witnessing more severe and prolonged climate events. A child born in 2020 will experience up to seven times more heatwaves than those born in the 1960s.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, just over 140 million people are young, and nearly a third of them (39%) live in poverty, a figure that increases in rural areas, where it affects almost half of this population (46%).
However, today’s youth are a driver of change. As they demand more opportunities and fairer and more equitable solutions, they raise their voices and act for a better present and a more prosperous future. In the region, young voters represent, on average, around 29% of the total registered voters, making their participation crucial for democracies.
Access to opportunities, health, education, and adequate integration of young people into the labor market will not only impact their own lives but also those of everyone else.
Across the region, young people are making a difference through knowledge, dialogue, innovation, and entrepreneurship. UNDP has been developing several actions to support them in their initiatives.
Climate Action
The online program "Youth for Climate Action" is a free and open-access course organized by UNDP in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Eco House Global, adressed to young people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The goal is for participants to learn the main concepts about climate change and the possible actions they can undertake from civil society, with the aim of becoming climate leaders.
To date, 228 young people (158 women and 70 men) have graduated from the course where they acquired basic and introductory knowledge about climate change science, its causes and impacts; governance, international, national, and subnational cooperation; and the two main trends in climate action: adaptation and mitigation. The program was developed by youth for youth, with an inclusive and regional approach.
"I'm worried that one day we'll run out of water and that those people who depend on natural resources for their food might not even have secure food in their homes. This was one of the reasons why I got involved in climate change issues," says Beatriz Reyes, a graduate of the first Academy in 2018 and one of the leaders who, along with other young women, created the Youth and Climate Change movement.
Dialogue brings the youth closer
On August 7, the Interparty Youth of Uruguay, which brings together young people from political parties with parliamentary representation, presented a document to the candidates for the Presidency of the Republic with agreements that reflect the aspirations and needs of their generation, seeking "a future with more opportunities, justice, and well-being."
The document promotes several key issues: making politics with good faith, fostering responsible debate and democratic coexistence; adopting human security as a paradigm to address social fractures; developing state policies on citizen security; and increasing youth participation in the country's political life.
The initiative is part of the UNDP project "Dialogar Acerca," initiated in 2023, with the aim of promoting among political youth the opportunity to lead and participate in dialogue spaces that address current democracy challenges and discourage polarization. The process included meetings at party headquarters, exchanges with civil society, and training and dialogue sessions with journalists and academic experts in democracy and new technologies.
"In a time when polarization and political violence are increasing in the region, the young members of Uruguay's political parties want to send a clear message: it is possible to follow our country's best traditions, such as consensus and interparty dialogue," emphasized Gonzalo Gómez, a young member of the National Party (the governing party).
|
In the same line, Ema Wilkins, a young member of the Frente Amplio (opposition party), stated that the document represents 'the best practices of our democracy, such as informed debate of ideas and the pursuit of agreements to address the main challenges of our society.' 'We, the youth, want to be part of decision-making, and this collective document is a proof of that,' they concluded." |
PNUD Uruguay
United Through Art
Juliana St. Vil, 12, has spent most of her life in Carrefour-Feuilles, in southern Port-au-Prince, an area rebuilt after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, a country where 54% of its population is under 25 years old.
Juliana and other students enrolled in the theater school have chosen this art form as a way to escape violence and instability. "I play the role I’m asked," she says. To reach her theater lessons, she travels by motorcycle. Upon arrival, she enjoys a free meal.
Juliana is one of the leading actresses in the play. In one scene, she plays a mother asking for permission to live in a shelter with her son, played by a boy who, although pretending to cry, often ends up bursting into laughter.
Every afternoon, the children enter the rehearsal room to perform a scene they will present to the public at the end of the two-week workshop. Organized by the Brigade d'intervention théâtrale (BIT-Haïti), a street theater group, the workshop is supported by UNDP and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and is implemented by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) through the cultural organization Tamise.
PNUD Haití
Innovating Against the Climate Crisis
In Jamaica, Anna-Kay Young has always had a passion for gardening, but as a child, she was never allowed to follow her heart. Whenever she tried, her uncles would tell her: "Planting is not for you. It's too hard."
But that didn't stop her. "I would wait until they weren't around to spray the garden and weed," she recalls. Today, she is a successful aquaponics farmer, innovatively cultivating plants and fish while caring for the environment.
“Getting into aquaponics or even hydroponics is a good way to grow plants using recycled water year-round. You don't need a lot of water because it's the same water being recycled” she says. "Being efficient and climate-resilient is something we should all consider."
Anna-Kay is a minority in a sector where cultural norms and perceptions can deny some women and girls in Jamaica opportunities to engage in farming. Young people represent only 20% of farmers, while women make up just under a third (31%).
However, with climate change causing negative impacts on agricultural production, more farmers are needed to strengthen food security in the face of the climate crisis. With support from Canada and the United Kingdom, the EnGenDER project implemented in 9 Caribbean countries has reached over 300 young farmers like Anna-Kay, providing them with tools to face the climate crisis. The goal is to build climate resilience in the agricultural sector, particularly for young women and girls, while improving food security in the region.
PNUD Jamaica
From Paper to Public Policies
Youth representatives from 12 localities in Bogotá presented public agendas for their population group to the district government: a pioneering instrument that identifies the main challenges and strategies to improve their well-being.
Youth councils, platforms, and youth leaderships received technical support and training to build their public youth agendas, achieved through consultative processes, with at least 23 youth assemblies. From these experiences of participation and dialogue, they consolidated challenges in health, education, employment, women and gender, culture, human rights, and security, among others.
This initiative was led by the Youth Councils and Platforms of each locality, supported by the District Institute for Participation and Community Action (IDPAC) and the Secretariat of Social Integration and the Secretariat of Government; with support and funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in Colombia and UNDP.
“Despite our differences, Black, Afro, Raizal, and Palenquero youth managed to establish a common agreement on the main problems of youth in Bogotá. We gave voice to our Afro youth, but we require political visibility from the city, the country, and the world,” said leader Andrea Carolina Marimón, youth counselor for Black, Afro-descendant, Raizal, and Palenquero Communities in Bogotá, Colombia.
"We will accompany these agendas to be incorporated into the new local development plans and the district plan: we invite you to also participate with your agendas in the planning councils and ensure that the strategies you have consolidated are incorporated into public policy," said Alexander Reina, director of the District Institute for Participation and Community Action (IDPAC).
PNUD Colombia