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.
