Youth to Reshape the World – Youth as Advocates and Agents of Transformative Actions in Social Inclusion and Environment Protection

IIMA Human Rights Office joined forces with VIDES International for the realization of the Project “Youth to Reshape the World– Youth as Advocates and Agents of Transformative Actions in Social Inclusion and Environment Protection”. Funded by the European Commission, this project to be implemented in 2023 – 2025 includes a critical Human Rights advocacy and capacity building component in order to: Empower youth to become change-making agents in terms of social inclusion and environmental protection within the communities in which they operate in EU cities and countries; Capacitate youth to become advocates for integral ecology and social inclusion at international, European and local level; Increase intercultural dialogue and mutual-understanding fostering a common European and VIDES youth identity and active citizenship; and Enhance internal and external communication of network to increase its visibility a by developing innovative and creative practices for the use of digital tools.

To this end, and Advocacy Action Plan 2023 was prepared to outline activities specifically focused on training young people to become “actors of social change” to empower them to carry out awareness-raising and advocacy activities at local, European, and international level.

In this framework, main project achievements included:

• a first online Informational Session which was held on 8 June, 2023. The meeting provided an introduction on the project by Elisabetta Murgia (VIDES International) and Greetings from IIMA Human Rights Office in Geneva by Sr. Sarah Garcia (Executive Director of IIMA Human Rights Office). Maria D’Onofrio (IIMA Advocacy Officer) then spoke about youth rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council and upcoming opportunities for youth advocacy. The Advocacy Action Plan was presented, and young participants were invited to discuss meaningful youth participation in climate change and decision-making processes in their countries. To prepare youth for advocacy, they have been involved in capacity building programmes and exchanges that focus on increasing intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding as well as fostering a common European and VIDES identity among youth.
• Contribution to shaping the HRC Panel discussion on “Youth participation in climate change and global environmental decision-making processes. A Submission based on written contributions from the participants was drafted and submitted to the OHCHR in July 2023, including information on main barriers as well as examples of initiatives for effective, active, and meaningful youth participation in climate change and global environmental decision-making processes.
• On the occasion of the HRC session 54th (September-October 2023): 1 Oral statement delivered by IIMA and VIDES with the support of VIDES Switzerland) – under Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order (text and video); and 1 Joint Oral Statement submitted by IIMA and VIDES and co-sponsored by 7 NGOs including the European Youth Forum (text and video). Both oral statements highlighted the importance of ensuring substantial, transformative, and meaningful youth participation in all the decision-making processes, including in the field of environmental protection. Among the main barriers to effective, active, and meaningful youth participation, including in climate change and global environmental decision-making processes, IIMA and VIDES highlighted the lack of motivation from young people to engage towards global actions due to distrust in public political institutions and local authorities.
• The Webinar on “Youth engagement in advocacy at UN level to provide an overview of the measures undertaken by the UN HRC to promote youth rights over the years” was held online on November 21, 2023. The event shared key messages on youth empowerment and provided insights on the functioning of the HRC and future advocacy opportunities for youth within the Council. The event panel has seen the participation of a young speaker from Spain who spoke on the topic of “Youth for the Protection of Human Rights and Environment: Introducing Sustainability and Environment in Universities”. Afterwards, several materials were shared with webinar’s participants to increase their knowledge on the Human Rights Council and opportunities offered by the Council for youth participation and youth rights. Finally, the webinar has created the basis for strengthening a youth network for human rights.