International Youth Day – 12th August 2022

11-08-2022

Beatrice Serra

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

On August 12th, the international community annually celebrates the International Youth Day, established by the UN General Assembly in 1999 with Resolution A/RES/54/120. In 2020, the United Nations Population Fund (UNPD) estimated that 1.21 billion are young people between the age 15-24. Constituting around 15.5 percent of the global population, the international community recognizes the crucial role youth play for the development of our society (United Nations Population Fund, 2022).

Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages is the theme around which the International Youth Day revolves in 2022. The theme aims at highlighting the importance of leaving no one behind, and thus fighting the current barriers to intergenerational solidarity, especially ageism which hinder developments in health, human rights and development. The World Health Organization defines ageism as “the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) directed towards others or oneself, based on age” (United Nations, 2022).

The International Youth Day reminds our society that breaching age barriers and enabling youth to reach their full potential in all spheres, including employment, political participation, health and justice, is key for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Living in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is fundamental to understand that fostering intergenerational solidarity between generations is deemed necessary for an inclusive and sustainable recovery (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2022).

Sources and further reading:

United Nations (January 20, 2000), Resolution A/RES/54/120 Adopted by the General Assembly, Retrieved on August 11th, 2022, from https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2FRES%2F54%2F120&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop&LangRequested=False.

United Nations (August 11, 2022), International Youth Day, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Retrieved on August 11th, 2022, from https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/iyd2022.html.

United Nations (August 11, 2022), International Youth Day, United Nations, Retrieved on August 11th, 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/observances/youth-day.

United Nations (August 11, 2022), International Youth Day, United Nations Population Fund, Retrieved on August 11th, 2022, from https://www.unfpa.org/events/international-youth-day.