27 July 1993

43rd plenary meeting

Tenth anniversary of International Youth Year and draft world programme of action for youth towards the year 2000 and beyond

The Economic and Social Council,

Considering all relevant General Assembly resolutions, particularly its resolutions 40/14 of 18 November 1985, 45/103 of 14 December 1990 and 47/85 of 16 December 1992,

Recognizing the need to improve the situation of youth through concerted action aimed at more effective programming of youth activities and the implementation and evaluation of those programmes at all levels within the framework of the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year: Participation, Development, Peace, in 1995,

Noting the interlinkages between the fiftieth annniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, the World Summit for Social Development, to be held in Denmark in 1995, and the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General containing the draft calendar of activities to mark the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year and the draft world programme of action for youth towards the year 2000 and beyond,

1. Endorses the calendar of activities to mark the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year: Participation, Development, Peace, as set out in the annex to the present resolution;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to continue refining the draft world programme of action for youth towards the year 2000 and beyond in accordance with proposals to be submitted by Member States, specialized agencies and other bodies within the United Nations system, and concerned intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including non-governmental youth organizations, particularly in the light of the deliberations and suggestions of the Commission for Social Development;

3. Also requests the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States on the United Nations statement of intent on youth, which could become an integral part of the world youth programme of action;

4. Urges Member States, national coordinating committees and non-governmental organizations to prepare national programmes of action for the period 1993-1995 in the context of the preparations for the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year, encompassing provisions for substantive, promotional and informational activities directed towards youth, the authorities and the community at all levels, and to inform the Secretary-General of the progress achieved;

5. Urges all specialized agencies and United Nations bodies concerned, including the regional commissions, to incorporate appropriate activities within their work programmes for the period 1993-1995 in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Year;

6. Invites the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat to develop and implement a specific international programme of informational activities to be carried out mainly at the national level to ensure that the potential value of the observance of the tenth anniversary of the Year is fully understood;

7. Urges the Secretary-General to undertake the necessary measures to ensure that the United Nations Youth Fund remains an important operational mechanism of the subprogramme of the United Nations on integration of youth in development;

8. Stresses the importance of considering the issues of integration and participation of youth in society as part of the preparatory process and final agenda for the World Summit for Social Development, to be held in Denmark in 1995;

9. Calls upon the Secretary-General to give all possible support, through the redeployment of existing resources, as well as through extrabudgetary resources, to the subprogramme of the United Nations on integration of youth in development;

10. Calls upon the Commission for Social Development to give priority attention at its thirty-fourth session to the refinement of the draft world programme of action for youth towards the year 2000 and beyond, and to establish an ad hoc informal open-ended working group on youth for this purpose, with a view to formulating a final draft to be submitted to the Economic and Social Council in 1995 and to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session.

Annex

CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES TO MARK THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH YEAR:

PARTICIPATION, DEVELOPMENT, PEACE

A. Preparatory phase (1993-1994)

1. Activities at the national level

1. Preparations could be facilitated by the establishment of a coordinating or preparatory committee at the highest level of government, including in its membership youth representatives. Such a body would undertake some or all of the following tasks:

(a) To develop a detailed programme based on an appropriate analysis of the situation of youth;

(b) To review existing youth-related national legislation, policies, plans and programmes, including administrative structures and services for youth;

(c) To collate and disseminate existing data and research on youth-related issues;

(d) To promote action-oriented research and studies by academic institutions, research institutes and youth organizations;

(e) To launch public information campaigns, using the mass media and other information networks, to promote awareness of youth issues and reinforce a positive attitude towards young people;

(f) To raise awareness of particular youth issues by promoting "creative" events, such as drawing, photographic, art and essay competitions, the results of which could be published in 1995;

(g) To promote communication between government and youth groups, and between generations in different formal and informal settings, thereby encouraging the active involvement of young people in the preparation and commemoration of the tenth anniversary and in the shaping of youth policies.

2. Activities at the international and regional levels

(a) Non-governmental organizations

2. International and regional non-governmental organizations will clearly have an important role and might thus wish to consider how best they could reorient some of their activities to mark the tenth anniversary. Some of the possibilities for action are:

(a) To carry out or support independent surveys on the situation of young people, support research and facilitate publication or dissemination of research findings, especially where other channels of distribution are difficult to access;

(b) To conduct independent surveys and assessments of existing youth policies, plans and programmes, identifying current and emerging youth issues;

(c) To facilitate the publishing and exchange of information on youth activities, using their publications and information networks;

(d) To promote cultural and educational exhibits and radio and television programmes, highlighting international cooperation on youth issues and concerns;

(e) To encourage their regional and national offices to assist Governments in activities related to the anniversary of International Youth Year.

(b) United Nations agencies and bodies

3. United Nations agencies and bodies may be expected to provide appropriate support to the activities marking the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year, at the level and in a manner corresponding to their respective mandates.

In planning their programmes for the period 1993-1994, they might wish to give special consideration to how these could be made to support the activities marking the anniversary. Various possibilities might be considered, as listed below:

(a) To link to the preparations for the tenth anniversary activities pertaining to other major international events, such as the International Year of the Family (1994), the International Conference on Population and Development (1994), the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace (1995), the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations (1995), the World Summit for Social Development (1995) and the World Conference on Human Rights (1993);

(b) To support Governments in strengthening their national youth policies, programmes and strategies;

(c) To organize meetings, seminars, conferences and workshops on specific topics of particular relevance to youth;

(d) To give special attention to youth issues in 1995 in their regular bulletins, journals and newsletters;

(e) To mobilize the substantive resources of their regional and national offices with a view to assisting youth non-governmental organizations in their preparatory activities.

B. Observance phase (1995)

1. Activities at the national level

4. It is not yet possible to decide the most appropriate manner in which the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year might be marked in different countries, at different levels of Government and by the different non-governmental entities concerned. The type of activities that should be suggested for implementation in 1995 will depend on the extent to which plans drawn up for the preparatory phase in 1993 and 1994 are finalized and implemented. At this stage, Governments, in cooperation with national youth organizations, might be requested to plan ahead, so that the tenth anniversary may provide an opportunity to initiate substantive measures in favour of youth, taking advantage of the publicity generated by the anniversary and by events such as the following:

(a) Conferences, workshops and debates on youth-related issues, in which prominent persons in the community would take part, for instance, political leaders and scholars, and especially youth leaders;

(b) Statements and appearances by prominent political personalities including, where possible, heads of Government, highlighting the positive contributions young people make to society;

(c) Issuance of commemorative stamps, posters and other souvenir materials;

(d) Designating a national youth day, week or month during which youth issues could be highlighted in a variety of national events, by means of a special focus on youth, for example, in book fairs and other cultural events or sports competitions;

(e) Special events organized by young people to draw attention to days designated for commemoration by the United Nations and other events widely observed, for example, International Women's Day (8 March), World Health Day/ (7 April), World Environment Day (5 June), International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26 June), World Population Day (11 July), International Day of Peace (third Tuesday in September), United Nations Day (24 October), World AIDS Day (1 December), International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December) and Human Rights Day (10 December).

2. Activities at the international level

5. The General Assembly decided, in its resolution 45/103, to devote a plenary meeting at its fiftieth session to the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year, which will also be the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. The Assembly may wish to mark these events in some special manner, for example:

(a) By agreeing to a United Nations statement of intent on youth in conjunction with the adoption in 1995 of a world youth programme of action;

(b) By designating, in 1995, an international youth day.