Welcome to the UNESCO Youth Programme
Youth have the creativity, the potential and the capacity to make change happen – for themselves, for their communities, and for the rest of the world. UNESCO works with young people and is committed to accompany them to work together to drive social innovation and change, participate fully in the development of their societies, eradicate poverty and inequality, and foster a culture of peace.
UNESCO has engaged with thousands of youths to create change through its fora, built solid youth networks, reached young people to work on peacebuilding and prevention of violent extremism, and is committed to empowering underprivileged youth by providing them with spaces to participate.
The United Nations defines ‘youth’ as persons aged between 15 and 24. However, this definition is flexible. According to the World Youth Report (2018), there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population. The experience of being young can vary substantially across the world, between countries and regions, and ‘youth’ is therefore often a fluid and changing category. As such, context is always an important guide in UNESCO’s definition of youth.
We encourage engagement of youth in UNESCO’s action from design to implementation and follow-up, in their communities through the scaling up of youth-led initiatives, and in the policy agenda through the integration of youth concerns and issues.
To this end, UNESCO also encourages Youth Spaces aimed at empowering young people, fostering and supporting their action, promoting partnerships, and ensuring their recognition and visibility.
Scroll down to discover more about UNESCO’s work on youth, including its Operational Strategy on Youth (2014-2021), the UNESCO Youth Forum process, and other news, events and opportunities to get involved in. Don’t forget to sign up to the Online UNESCO Youth Community!