UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23 (IPS) – The key messages of the Summit of the Future, which focuses on international solidarity and decisive action, are being propelled by young people determined to tackle the intersecting challenges facing the world today.
During the Summit Days of Action (20-21 September), it was young people who led the conversations on expanding and defining meaningful engagement, both at and beyond United Nations headquarters.
They not only direct the conversation, but also the Pact for the future The Declaration on Future Generations was adopted by world leaders at the United Nations on Sunday (22 September). Young people and future generations are at the forefront of the concerns of world leaders. Their role was clearly established in the first-ever Declaration on Future Generations, with concrete steps to take future generations into account in our decision-making, including a possible envoy for future generations.
This includes working to create more ‘meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, especially at the global level.’
Building the Future: Synergistic Cooperation on Nuclear and Climate Crisesa side event co-organized by Soka Gakkai International (SGI) and the Future Action Festival Organizing Committee, with support from the United Nations University (UNU) and the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), brought together young activists to discuss the intersection of two distinct crises and what defines meaningful youth engagement.
Kaoru Nemoto, Director General of UNIC in Tokyo, called it “groundbreaking” to see that the Summit Days of Action agenda was largely led and organized by young participants, as evidenced by the fact that most of the seats in the General Assembly Hall were filled by young activists.
“There is an undercurrent, a common message, that youth can make this world a better place to live,” Nemoto said. “No matter what agenda you are working on, whether it is climate change, nuclear disarmament, fighting inequality … youth issues are cross-cutting, very powerful cross-cutting issues across the board.”
Nemoto added that the United Nations must do much more to involve young people in meaningful participation. This would mean giving young people the opportunity to participate in decision-making and to hold leadership positions. The presence of young people cannot be reduced to symbolic acts.
The climate and nuclear crises are existential threats that are deeply intertwined, said Dr. Tshilidzi Marwala, the president of the United Nations University. Climate instability fuels the factors that lead to conflict and displacement. Conflicts such as those in Sudan, Israel, Palestine and Ukraine increase the risk of nuclear escalation. As leaders tackle the issues today, Marwala called on youth to continue to make their voices heard and hold those powers to account.
Marwala noted that the United Nations University would work to “realize meaningful participation” across all parties. For youth, while motivated and showing concern for deeper social issues, they face challenges in making their voices heard or feeling mobilized to take action. Marwala noted that it was important to reach out to those youth who are disengaged or feel discouraged from getting involved in political work and activism.
One of the key agenda items of the Summit of the Future is to increase youth participation in decision-making processes. It has long been recognized that young activists and civil society actors are agents of greater societal change and are motivated to act on complex issues. Yet, they often face challenges in participating in policymaking that would shape the positions of their countries.
One of these challenges is representation in political spaces. In the context of Japan, young people are underrepresented in local and national politics. As Luna Serigano, an advocate from the Japan Youth Council, shared during the event, there is a broader belief among young voters in Japan that their voices will not be heard by the authorities.
This is evident from the turnout, which shows that only 37 percent of voters are in their 20s and only 54 percent of voters believe their vote matters. In contrast, 71 percent of people in their 70s voted in elections. People in their 30s or younger make up only 1 percent of professionals serving on government boards and forums. The Japan Youth Council is currently advocating for active youth participation in the country’s climate change policy by calling on young people to be directly involved as committee members to work on a new energy plan for the coming year.
Yuuki Tokuda, co-founder of GeNuine, a Japan-based NGO that examines nuclear issues from a gender perspective, said young people are not in decision-making spaces. While their voices may be heard, it is not enough. As she told IPS, the climate and nuclear crises are on the minds of young people in Japan. And while they have ideas about what can be done, they are not informed about how to act.
There is some hope for increased participation. Tokuda said that policymakers on nuclear issues, 30 percent of whom are women, have begun to engage with young people in these discussions.
“It is time to rebuild systems so that young people can participate meaningfully in these processes,” Tokuda said. “We need more intergenerational participation to work on nuclear weapons prohibition and the climate crisis.”
The event discussed what meaningful youth engagement should look like. It was acknowledged that efforts have been made to accommodate youth perspectives. Including youth in discussions is a crucial step. It was suggested that the direction should shift towards ensuring that youth have the authority to take the action needed to solve intersecting, complex problems. Otherwise, inclusion is meaningless.
“Forward-thinking youth are needed more than ever to meet the challenges of building and maintaining peace,” said SGI’s Mitsuo Nishikata.
“As a youth-driven initiative, as the Future Action Festival shows, youth solidarity can serve as a starting point for solving and overcoming problems.”
Next year (2025) will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima-Nagasaki. Nishikata pointed out that this will be a moment of crucial opportunity to advance discussions on nuclear disarmament and climate action, ahead of the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the 30and UN Climate Conference (COP30).
“We remain united in our desire for peace, share responsibility for future generations, and expand the actions of the people in Japan and worldwide.
Other commitments under the Pact for the Future include the first multilateral renewed commitment to nuclear disarmament in more than a decade, with a clear commitment to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
It also promised reforms to the United Nations Security Council, which has existed since the 1960s, with plans to improve the Council’s effectiveness and representativeness, including by prioritising addressing Africa’s historic underrepresentation.
At the heart of the Pact is a commitment to give a major boost to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes reforming the international financial architecture so that it better represents and serves developing countries.
“We cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system that our grandparents created,” said Secretary-General António Guterres.
This article is brought to you by IPS Noram in collaboration with INPS Japan and Soka Gakkai International in consultative status with ECOSOC.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service