
The “Compact for the Future”, recently adopted by the United Nations Assembly to address global challenges and advance the goals of the 2030 Agenda, is a landmark decision with innovative elements. Among these is a specific mention of issues concerning young people and their crucial role in finding and implementing solutions for sustainable development, social justice and international peace. This commitment is reaffirmed in the “Declaration of Future Generations” accompanying the Pact.
The International Bureau for Children’s Rights welcomes the emphasis placed on the participation of young people and the importance of including them in the definition of their future, recalling that they are also agents of change in the present, with their own interests that must be taken into account now. In this context, the Pact stresses the need to promote inclusive participation mechanisms, so that all young people can influence national agendas and contribute to international decision-making.
It is therefore essential to continue efforts to ensure that children, who are often under-represented in youth participation spaces, have adequate formats and participation mechanisms adapted to their needs, especially for those in vulnerable situations who, for various reasons, are rarely invited to the various national platforms and even less so to international forums.
The International Bureau for Children’s Rights is dedicated to helping create child-friendly environments in which children feel able to take their place.