In September, 2024, world leaders adopted the Pact for the Future during the Summit of the Future at United Nations Headquarters in New York. With chapters on youth, peace and security, sustainable development, and the transformation of global governance, the Pact offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine a multilateral system that engages the global youth.
- Kate Mallory, an undergraduate student fellow at GCE-US, argues, “Young people must be at the heart of humanitarian policies, as shapers of their own survival.”
- Luise Hoffbauer, co-chair of the youth constituency at GCE-Germany, elaborates, “Youth voices offer new perspectives—heeding them ensures that policies align with their needs.”
- Maha Shoaib, a graduate student fellow at GCE-US, continues, “Incorporating youth voices into dialogue structures is not just about representation; it's about ensuring that policies are rooted in the aspirations of the younger generation.”
How can cooperation between generations facilitate responses to global issues?
- Ratin Sazedul, co-chair of the youth constituency at GCE-Germany, asserts, “Protracted crises necessitate a new conception of intergenerationality. The first step on the path to intergenerational action requires a restoration of trust and the institution of mutual respect.”
- Angel Ornelas, a graduate student fellow at GCE-US, adds, “Isolation makes the future seem uncertain, whereas working relationships rebuild trust between generations, illuminating the internal workings of institutions.”
- Iven Schwerdtfeger, director of the youth constituency at GCE-Germany, concludes, “The past two years I have lobbied in support of youth aims; but the solutions proposed by youth representatives will only be actualized when civil society representatives and civil servants collectively formulate a model for intergenerational action.”
The cessation of hostilities and the future of conflict prevention are dependent on the implementation of intergenerational policies at the local and national level. To escape the cycle of violence, promote peace, and lay the foundation for democracy and sustainable development, governments and multilateral institutions must recognize the agency of youth-led NGOs and student unions, and engage them as equal partners in all steps of the humanitarian, development, and peace processes.
About the Author
The Youth Democracy Movement (YDM) is a youth-led, intergenerational coalition dedicated to increasing democratic youth and student representation in decision-making structures across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus and United Nations system.
