Nairobi - UN

"Are you ready for us?" was invited as a youth representative & researcher on youth topics to the Stakeholders Meeting of the UN, where around 250 youth, governance, NGOs & institutions´representatives would design & propose to the High Level Meeting a structure that includes and treats equally youth within the UN system.

The High Level Meetings are designing proposals for the governments of the world, so that the Millennium Development Goals will be achieved. The MDG have to do with the reduction of poverty & hunger, universal education, child health, maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability, global partnership.

In the High Level Meetings there are always government representatives, but lately there being added special representatives, like for example, the Special Representative of Women.

So, apart from appointing a Special Representative on Youth, we all proposed a Permanent Forum that will be taking place twice per year on the topics that affect & interest youth, plus a commission, consisted of young people & experts on youth (people who are working with youth, researchers, academics, adult platforms for youth etc). This commission will be really in touch with the youth around the world, so that they will be really represented, heard but also able to participate in decision making & implementation of social change strategies- what we are aspiring to see one day.

More about these conversations, here:
Concept note: http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/Concept_Note_Youth21.pdf
Nairobi Statement: http://www.youth21forum.org/download/nairobi_statement.pdf

Here, a summary of what we did as a the "rUreD4us?" team during the Stakeholders Meeting.