Thursday, October 4, 2012

Young people strive for the Rights

Today, young people are one of the main victims of the ongoing economic crisis. Not only are they more vulnerable to unemployment and poverty, they also find themselves excluded from many forms of participation. Aware that many young people are impeded in achieving their full potential due to unequal access, the Network of Universities on Youth and Global Citizenship decided to work in 2012 around the theme of ‘youth rights’. The mother university of the network, the University on Youth and Development, took place on 13th - 22nd September in Mollina, Spain. Young people from the four corners of the globe gathered to discuss the often mismatch between rights and duties.
The result was a declaration on behalf of all participants and partners of the Network of Universities on Youth and Global Citizenship. The document is addressed to governments and institutions and demands respect for all human rights. Likewise, young people should be ensured information about their rights and access to global education. Young people after all are a specific vulnerable group, which needs to be protected through adequate law enforcement mechanisms. Some regional instruments are already in existence though. They were heavily discussed during a roundtable between representatives of the European Youth Forum, the Iberoamerican Youth Organisation and African Youth Union.
The European Youth Forum holds great importance in the global cooperation for global youth rights. The rights based approach on youth issues is as such one of the main methods the Forum has set out to reach the strategic priorities for the next 6 years cycle of 2013 – 2018. The Forum believes that young people, like all other human beings are entitled to human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Source: European Youth Forum

European Youth Forum - Youth Policy Watch

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