In 2017, the world’s population was
7.4 billion – more than half of which were aged between 20 and 44. The median
age of world population was 29-30 years, meaning that most of the people alive
are yet to reach age of 30. The youth population continues to grow – and grow
fastest in the poorest nations. This growth of youth numbers is being called
the “youth bulge”.[i]
Despite their large and growing numbers, youth are underrepresented in
decision-making bodies and electoral processes. It is not surprising that
“youth issues” are on the development agenda.
There are more youth today than at
any other time in human history and never before have so many of them been
involved in movements for change worldwide. They are taking to the streets and
using online social networks and communities to connect, express their voices
and campaign for change. They are protesting against authoritarian regimes,
corruption and inequalities. They are fighting for sustainable development and
a better future for current and new generations. Youth are demanding political
representation and a say in government policy.
However, they are often excluded or disengaged from formal political
processes.
By the middle of the 20th century,
the rise of representative democracy and the human rights movement resulted in
women in most countries eventually being given the rights to vote and be
elected. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirmed “universal
and equal suffrage” as a basic human right, it excluded children and young
people. In the second half of the 20th century, a youth rights movement
grew, with young people fighting to make decisions autonomously or to have the
legal minimum ages at which rights are acquired lowered. Many countries lowered
the voting age from 21 to 18. Since then, there has been a movement to lower
the voting age still further, and in some countries the voting age has been
lowered to 16. There are international recommendations to align the eligibility
for public office with the voting age, and in some countries, there have been successful
movements to lower the age of eligibility.
The extension of the franchise and
age of eligibility for public office has taken place against a backdrop of
intense focus on voter turnout, which is seen as a general measure of the
health of a democracy. Lower voter turnout by younger people in many countries
has been the subject of much study and has frequently been framed as evidence
of youth disengagement from formal political processes. Calls for more
effective civic education to empower young people is one common response to low
voter turnout; another is a more enabling environment to attract youth to
formal political processes.
The idea of a distinct category known
as “youth” is a rather contemporary phenomenon. Youth are neither a homogenous group –
being diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic
background, abilities, and identification with and membership of a minority group
(such as LGBTQI) – nor a static one; there are always people joining the cohort
or leaving it. Furthermore, a large number of young women and men are living in
conflict areas and are highly represented among displaced persons. There is no
consensus about who qualifies as youth. The UN defines youth as between the
ages of 15 and 24, and the UNSC Resolution 2250
defines youth as between the ages of 18 and 29. Despite it being
difficult to speak about “youth”, given the above, statistically they are at the
highest risk of social exclusion, and many
young people face barriers to accessing, enjoying or exercising their human
rights, including their political rights. Youth is not only defined by
age, it is also a socio-cultural term that is defined in some cultures as a
life phase marked at the beginning and end by certain biological or
socio-cultural experiences. This can play into and is contextually relevant to
the political sphere in some cultures.
In the political
arena, youth are subject to pervasive and sometimes contradictory myths. They
are often being portrayed in either/or terms – as victims or perpetrators of
violence, or as apathetic or engaged – when the reality is far more complex and
defies such stereotyping.
The widespread involvement of citizens
in political decision-making and implementation is considered essential to a
vibrant democracy. Political participation or engagement (the terms are often
used interchangeably) can refer to a wide range of activities, including formal participation – such as voting,
joining a political party, or standing for public office – and informal
participation, including such “bottom-up” activities as signing a petition, and
purchasing or boycotting products for political reasons.
From the late 20th century, there has
been a trend among youth towards increased informal participation and decreased
formal participation. Young people are expressing dissatisfaction with
old-style politics and disengagement from formal political processes. They are,
however, involved in “participatory politics” – grass-roots, interactive,
peer-based activism designed to influence issues they care deeply about. The
internet and social media, which they have grown up with, have transformed how
they participate and communicate, and they are leveraging technology to enhance
the scale and reach of their messages and demands. In light of this, youth
discourse questions the definitions of what constitutes political participation
and what it means to be politically and meaningfully engaged.
Notwithstanding such questioning, the
low number of young people voting and becoming candidates remains a concern to
many, including young people themselves. There is an emerging consensus that
increasing youth political participation has both instrumental and intrinsic
value for both youth and wider society.
Since the first International Youth
Year in 1985, there have been a number of declarations targeting youth, and there
has been a growing interest in youth participation. Various international human
rights conventions provide the framework for political participation of
citizens; the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) made the
participation of children in decisions about their own lives an internationally
recognized right. In the years since, the UN has shaped the agenda on youth
participation and called for governments to invest in the potential of youth.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, adopted in 2015, names youth as “critical agents of change” and prioritizes them across its 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Young people played an important role in defining the
agenda for these goals. SDG 16 specifies commitment to “promote peaceful and
inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” This makes
the goal important for all stakeholders working on youth political
empowerment.
EMBs’ and other electoral
stakeholders’ aspirations for inclusive elections are reflected in SDG 16.7:
“Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels.”
Empowering youth to be included, to participate, and to be represented requires
EMBs to a) mainstream youth engagement throughout the electoral cycle and b)
ensure that strategies and activities to meet this target are driven by the needs
expressed by young people and built upon consultative processes.
Covering governance, inclusion,
participation, rights and security, SDG 16 can only be met if all segments of
society are involved in decision-making processes at all levels. Therefore, the
targets are particularly important for all stakeholders who are working on
youth political empowerment—from taking measures to prevent conflicts
throughout the electoral
cycle and supporting youth as active agents for peace
to working with the media during the electoral cycle to help ensure that the
fundamental freedoms of expression and association are protected. See Annex: About
SDG16
UN Security Council Resolution 2250
on Youth, Peace and Security (2015) emphasizes participation of youth in
peacebuilding at all levels of governance, in peace negotiations, and in
relevant interventions. Further, UNSCR 2418 calls for full implementation of
the SDGs and notes the progress study recommendations.
Perceptions of youth are shifting.
Instead of seeing youth as a “problem to be solved,” a discourse around young
people as strategic agents in development is emerging. A common theme is the
multiple roles that youth can play as beneficiaries, partners, and/or leaders
in the development of peaceful and democratic societies.
The UN, international NGOs, CSOs and
other IGOs, including youth-led organizations, have raised awareness about
youth participation and have increased coordination of and collaboration among
those actively engaged in youth and peacebuilding issues. The message for
governments, EMBs, international development organizations, and other electoral
stakeholders is to collaborate with youth, and especially to reach out to young
people on the margins of society, who are generally excluded from
decision-making processes in favor of urban, educated, and employed youth.
A number of EMBs and electoral
development agencies have already adopted a youth focus in their programming,
recognizing young people as a critical force for making elections more
inclusive. Just as agencies have become more focused on gender equality and
women’s empowerment, and on the empowerment of people with disabilities, and
other typically marginalized groups in society, they are increasingly giving
youth their targeted attention. An enabling environment with a legal framework
free from restrictive barriers to young people is a prerequisite for youth
participation, as is an educated citizenry provided with effective civic education.
EMBs have a crucial role to play in carrying out this agenda.
