BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent. However, despite seventy-five years of aspiration, economic, social and cultural rights remain relatively neglected in poor and wealthy countries. Strengthening the protection of economic, social and cultural rights is an integral part of strengthening the protection of all the rights recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Including the youth is not only an asset but also a necessity. Currently, there are 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 – 24 (the largest generation of youth in history), and the number is still growing. Connected to each other like never before, young people want to and already contribute to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring political change.

They are also agents of change, mobilizing to advance Sustainable Development Goals to improve people's lives and the planet's health. Given the necessary skills and opportunities to reach their potential, young people can be a driving force for promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights. In this light, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights Development and Economic and Social Issues Branch (DESIB)- whose mission is to pay equal attention to the realization of civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights, including the right to development, held Youth Engagement Sessions, a platform to encourage and empower youth-led organizations to participate in translating the 2030 Agenda into local and national and regional policy by providing them with the specific vocabulary of the economic, social and cultural rights.

On 25th May 2023, The Youth Cafe Collaborated with the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights Development and the Economic and Social Issues Branch (OHCHR DESIB) in a virtual Youth Engagement Session. This 90 minutes webinar session brought together youth from different countries and backgrounds in a dialogue to identify barriers to implementing economic, social and cultural rights and approaches to operationalize these rights as a framework for addressing local and global challenges, raising awareness of the young people across the world about economic, social and cultural rights; promote initiatives and diverse implications of the youth; and to strengthen the linkages between the youth-led organizations.

OBJECTIVES

The program aims to create spaces where young people from all over the world can learn, dialogue and identify barriers to implementing economic, social and cultural rights and approaches to operationalize these rights as a framework to address local and global challenges. Specifically, Youth Engagement Sessions aimed to:

• To raise awareness of the economic, social and cultural rights of young people across the world.

• To promote initiatives and diverse implications of the youth

• To strengthen the link between the youth¬led organizations

• To grow the visibility of the work of the DESIB Branch (especially on social media)

  EXPECTED OUTCOMES:

• Increased deeper understanding of economic, social and cultural rights, including their importance and relevance in addressing local and global issues.

• Increased youth engagement in local and global efforts to promote and protect economic, social, and cultural rights.

• Improved advocacy, communication and leadership skills that are valuable for addressing human rights issues.

• Empowered young people to advocate for economic, social, and cultural rights in their communities and on a global scale.

The webinar gathered over 150 participants from at least 11 African Countries via the Teams platform. The Webinar speakers included:

1. Chitralekha - Coordinator, Countering Inequalities Unit, OHCHR

2. Tracy Mwangi - Advisory Board Member The Youth Café

3. Abdu Ali - OHCHR East Africa Regional Office

4. Lynnet Onyango - Programme Officer-Africa, Thomson Reuters Foundation

5. Chitra Massey- Coordinator, Countering Inequalities Unit, OHCHR