7th UNESCO Youth Forum - 2011

© Flickr/Katz

The UNESCO Youth Forum, held prior to UNESCO's General Conference, brings together young delegates from all over the world to exchange views, share experiences, reflect together and, above all, detect common preoccupations and problems. The event allows young people to voice their ideas and concerns and make suggestions directly to the UNESCO General Conference.

The 7th UNESCO Youth Forum will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris (France) from 17 to 20 October 2011. It marks a time when youth are raising their voices to claim their place in the future of their countries. The need to be heard, and to go beyond and actually shape decision-making, is embodied in the objectives of the UNESCO Youth Forum.

More than an event, an institutionalized participation process

The UNESCO Youth Forum is institutionalized as an integral part of the UNESCO General Conference (32C/Res.82) (1), thereby being among the few regular mechanisms, at global level, which allow youth to submit their recommendations to representatives of national governments.

Youth are the primary delegates and “own” the content and outputs. The Report of the Forum is presented by the youth delegates to Member States during the General Conference. In 2009, the 35th session of the UNESCO General Conference decided that a specific item on the results of the Youth Forum should be added to the agenda of the 36th session of the General Conference (2). In addition, the 6th UNESCO Youth Forum called for greater participation of youth in their countries’ official delegations to the General Conference. In 2011, this call should be pursued through the National Commissions.

The Youth Forum is also an ongoing process designed to raise the responsibility of youth delegates in undertaking concrete action to implement their ideas. Youth delegates are encouraged to follow-up on their recommendations, in cooperation with national governments, especially the UNESCO National Commissions, as well as with civil society and the UN System.

More information on the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum will be available soon.

For queries please contact youth(at)unesco.org.

(1) “The General Conference, … Recognising the importance of youth participation in the development and implementation of UNESCO’s programmes ... Decides that a Youth Forum shall be an integral part of every session of the General Conference…”.
(2) 35C/Resolution 99.