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Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people.
Adolescent well-being is a personal and societal good in its own right, and at the same time, adolescence is a critical period of the life course when many of the factors that contribute to lifelong well-being are, or are not, acquired or solidified. The direct and indirect effects on adolescents’ well-being of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the responses to it have reinforced the importance of systems being in place to support the well-being of adolescents. But what is adolescent well-being? And how do adolescent well-being and adolescent health relate to each other?
While digital platforms and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed our social, cultural, and political interactions by connecting, informing, and engaging people, they have also enabled the spread of lies and hate through mis- and disinformation, which can lead to violence and death and jeopardize democratic institutions and human rights. Some platforms have even faced criticism for their role in conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.
The High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Process was held virtually on 20-21 January 2022, co-hosted by Qatar, Finland, and Colombia, and co-organized with civil society and UN partners. It began with a Youth Pre-Event on 19 January 2022, leading up to the Global Conference on 20-21 January 2022. The high-level conference aimed to secure national commitments to advance the country-level operationalization of the Youth Peace Security agenda and strengthen political will and commitment to including youth in peace processes. Interactive and action-oriented discussions convened across five themes building on the Youth Peace Security agenda between Heads of State and other High-Level Government representatives, young peacebuilders, and representatives of intergovernmental organizations, CSOs, academia, and donors.
Acknowledging the dire need for increased youth participation in the electoral process, The Youth Café has been working on ways to get more young people to register as voters. Research by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), shows that the youth could be largely categorized in three distinct demographics, classified according to age; with the first demographic being young people aged between 18-24 years, then 25-29 years and 30-35 years. Each of these key demographics will require a different approach to get them to register as voters.
At this, the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, the world is seeing yet another collective tragedy unfolding, its effects analogous to that of a war, though of a different form. And many predict that it presages additional global calamities. Like previous historic inflection points, a robust dialogue on the future of humanity is needed. The People’s Declaration and Program for Global Action adopted at the UN75 People’s Forum in May is one contribution to this necessary global discourse.
At a time when the world’s fate hinges on effective global and regional cooperation, young people are showing remarkable support for global and regional systems rooted in solidarity, cooperation, justice, and human rights. From making viral the Chilean anti-rape anthem calling against gender violence and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement against racism to, most recently, leading a social movement (#EndSARS) against police brutality in Nigeria, youth mobilization is at an all-time high.
This year’s commemoration of Peace Day is special as the universe is grappling with a common enemy: the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has caused a switch in the manner in which the globe operates as it has shown the world that we are not really not each other’s enemies, and we must unite to battle against the common enemy that is the global pandemic. The theme for this year’s Peace Day is ‘Shaping Peace Together’ and the UN invited the world to spread compassion, kindness, and hope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The youth-related provisions in the current Constitution are far-reaching. Notably, it substantively mentions the word ‘youth’ nine times. The Constitution in Article 21 acknowledges the youth as a vulnerable group in the society. Under Article 27, it recognises age as one of the bases in which discrimination by the state or individual is prohibited. This is a development from the former Constitution as above-mentioned, as it left out age from its anti-discrimination clause.
In the fight for gender equality, women around the world have advanced in small and large ways. Yet for women in Africa, progress is measured in micro steps, and the struggle has a long way to go. The good news is that women’s rep-resentation in political decision making has been on the rise globally. The not-so-good news is that the increase has been stubbornly slow, barely 1% in 2018 compared with the previous year. In 2018 the number of women ministers world-wide reached an all-time high at 20.7% (812 out of 3922).
