Five key concepts are presented and discussed below as a framework for the topic area.
For statistical purposes, the United Nations General Assembly defines youth as between the ages of 15-24, without prejudice to other definitions by member states.[i] However, since in many countries people below the age of 35 who are active in politics are considered young, this topic area uses a more flexible definition of youth — people between the ages of 15 and 35.
This topic area is grounded in the electoral cycle approach – one that emphasizes the importance of long-term activities aimed at developing capacities for inclusive political participation. It covers the pre-electoral, electoral, and post-electoral periods. As such, the topic area provides strategies and good practices for youth and EMBs to create an enabling environment for participation, to empower young men and women to raise their voices, to engage in electoral operations, and to become active change agents for peaceful elections.
See Annex: Electoral Cycle and Youth. See also Annex: Tips for Engaging with Youth Throughout the Electoral Cycle.
This topic area takes into consideration the diversity of various groups of women and men as well as their specific activities and challenges. Young women in many societies face “double discrimination” (based on both their age and gender) throughout the electoral cycle. Therefore, this topic area stresses the importance of developing and implementing targeted strategies and activities to enable and empower young women to participate.
Intersectionality
Young people face numerous barriers to participating in development and political processes that affect their lives. Intersectionality acknowledges the interplay of these barriers. Because systems of discrimination and disadvantage based on social categorizations such as age, ethnicity, class and gender intersect, the oppressive effects of these systemic inequalities are compounded. This topic area recognizes that young people experience discrimination based on their age and that where their age intersects with disadvantages and marginalization based on socioeconomic status, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and ethnic minority identity, young people bear the burden of multiple inequalities.
This topic area provides various practices and strategies on how EMBs have fostered youth participation throughout electoral processes. It is evident that successful strategies in one country might not be effective or useful in other socio-political contexts. As such, examples provided should serve only as a source of inspiration for EMBs on how youth can be empowered throughout the electoral cycle.
