Youth goals? The future generations’ involvement in the sustainable development goals
(2020) Globalgoals international conference — Location: Utrecht, online conference due to COVID (10.June.2020)
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- Abstract
- During the sustainable development goals (SDGs)’ negotiations, ‘youth’, recognized as a United Nations major group, has, as such, been invited to participate in the drafting of the goals. It is now also involved in their implementation. While the SDGs negotiations are known for having been very inclusive, several signs also indicate some limits of youth involvement in the negotiations and implementation of the goals. First, it is not clear if non-state actors representing youth within the goals’ process are autonomous. For instance, the Young Leaders for SDGs programme launched in 2016 is one example of youth involvement, but that has been sponsored by other types of actors such as intergovernmental organisations, that might exercise influence on the selection of youth representatives. Second, youth protests are increasing worldwide, with in particular the landmark Fridaysforfuture movement related to climate change, denouncing also a lack of youth involvement in global policies. Understanding if the SDGs are in line with youth claims for planetary integrity is precisely the aim of this contribution. In particular, it proposes to assess to which extent the goals only aim at ‘empowering youth’, that is put youth in a situation of recipients of politics, or aim at taking youth as ‘actors in their own rights’. It first identifies youth actors’ involvement in the goals, to then analyse their positions and influence on the goals’ process. The research rests on a systematic analysis of youth actors, of their statements and of their actions, during and as follow-up to the adoption of the goals. By doing so, it asks to which extent youth are independent and active actors this process, and reflects on the role of youth participation in advancing planetary integrity.
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Orsini, A. (2020). Youth goals? The future generations’ involvement in the sustainable development goals. Globalgoals international conference, Utrecht, online conference due to COVID.