CONCEPT NOTE: YOUTH FORUM AT CSW 60

YOUTH FORUM AT COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN 60

ADVANCING AGENDA 2030 - EMPOWERED YOUNG WOMEN AND YOUNG
MEN AS PARTNERS IN ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY

Art Work from Yong Women Forum CSW59: March, 2015

In addressing issues concerning children and youth, Governments should promote an active
and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programme
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action1

Organized by UN Women, World YWCA and UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth

Development2s Working Group on Youth and Gender Equality
11th and 12th March 2016, New York, USA

http://beijing20.unwomen.org/~/media/Field%20Office%20Beijing%20Plus/Attachments/BeijingDeclarationAndPl
atformForAction-en.pdf#page=114
2
http://undesadspd.org/Youth/UNInterAgencyNetworkonYouthDevelopment.aspx

1|Page

BACKGROUND

There are more young people between the ages of 10 and 24 today than at any other time in
history. Todays generation of young people comprises almost 1.8 billion of the world
population of 7.3 billion.3 Of the 1.8 billion, approximately 87% live in developing countries,
with 62% living in Asia and 17% living in Africa.4 In the worlds 48 least developed countries, the
majority of the population is children under age 18 or adolescents aged 10 to 19 5. This is of
particular concern considering the fact that developing countries lack the capacity and
infrastructure to accommodate to the growing social, political, and economic needs of the
youth population. Young women and girls are disproportionally affected by numerous
challenges facing global youth due to gender inequalities that stem from gender-based
discriminatory social behaviors and norms.
Girls and young women continue to face significant barriers in accessing basic public services.
Specifically, the gender disparity in access to education, which is a critical gateway to economic
and political participation, continues to be a malignant problem especially in developing
countries. In 2012, an estimated 31 million girls of primary school age and 32 million girls of
lower secondary school age were out of school6. Sub-Saharan Africa has the most challenges
with regards to gender parity, with only two out of 35 countries displaying it.7 Current estimates
suggest that only 62 of 168 countries will achieve gender parity in secondary education by the
end of 2015.8
Similarly, girls and young women face discrimination in social, economic, and political spaces
that further inhibits their ability to protect themselves and their families and contribute
meaningfully to their communities. Between 2000 and 2011, an estimated 34 percent of
women between the ages of 20 and 24 in developing regions were married or in union before
age 18, and an estimated 12 percent were married or in union before age 15. 9 If current trends
continue, then by 2020, an additional 142 million girls will be married before their 18th
birthdays. Furthermore, according to the Population Reference Bureau, an estimated 100
million to 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation,
and over 3 million girls per year are at risk from this harmful practice on the African continent
alone.10

UNFPA, 2014, The Power of 1.8 Billion, Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future, State of
World Population 2014N
4
United Nations, 2011, The United Nations Program on Youth, http://social .un.org
5
UNFPA, 2014, The Power of 1.8 Billion, Adolescents, Youth and the Transformation of the Future, State of
World Population 2014N
6
See http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html
7
UNICEF, Basic education and gender equality, http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html
8

UNICEF Gender Action Plan 2014-2017

United Nations Commission on Population and Development, 2014; UNFPA, 2012a
10
Feldman-Jacobs and Clifton, 2014
9

2|Page

Facts and Figures from United Nations Factsheet on Girls and Young Women11
There are 1.8 billion young people aged 10-24 years old in the world. Of these, 600 million
are adolescent girls and young women.

Trends show that one in three girls in developing countries (excluding China) are likely to be
married before the age of 18, and one in nine girls will marry before their fifteenth birthday.
In 2010, over 67 million women aged 20-24 had been married as girls. If such trends
continue, 142 million girls will be married every year in the next decade.

Globally, young women aged 1524 are most vulnerable to HIV, with infection rates twice
as high as in young men, at 0.6%. This disparity is most pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa,
where 3.1% of young women are living with HIV, versus 1.3% of young men.

Every minute, one young woman acquires HIV, accounting for 22% of all new HIV infections,
with sexual transmission being the dominant mode of infection.

Figures on the magnitude of human trafficking are difficult to calculate, but using improved
methodology, recent 2012 ILO estimates suggest that women and girls make up 55% of the
estimated 20.9 million people trafficked.

Approximately 140 million girls and women in the world have suffered female genital
mutilation/cutting, with more than 3 million girls in Africa annually at risk of the practice.

Young women who belong to marginalized groups are often hit hardest by gender-based
discrimination and violence. Those who identify as LGBTQ subjected to significantly higher
rates of gender-based discrimination and consequently also suffer from high instances of
gender-based violence. Similarly, current discussions around support for persons with
disabilitiesphysical or mental, visible or invisibleare often gender-blind and do not fully
take into account the needs of young women with disabilities. There is also a need to
further develop gender-responsive practices for those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

RATIONALE
A Youth Forum at Commission on Status of Women 60 (CSW60) would effectively and
purposefully allow young women and young men to come together to amplify their common
concerns and advocacy efforts in advance of the starting of the official session. The forum
would constitute a space for young people, particularly young women and girls to openly and
safely discuss the obstacles they face and the concerns they have in their local, national,
regional and global contexts. As a critical output of the forum, agreed conclusions would be
constituted, outlining a thorough analysis of the priority theme of CSW60, as well as a set of
11

For further information see http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/youth/fact-sheets/girlsyoungwomen.pdf

3|Page

recommendations for governments, inter-governmental organisations, civil society actors as

well as other institutions and stakeholders. Such agreed conclusions would be guaranteed to be
anchored in young peoples interests acting in their own authority and ensuring their
meaningful participation in influencing the implementation of the SDGs, including the
discussions on the localization the SDG indicators and the discourse of the High Level Political
Forum (HLPF).
The Forum will foster collaboration and strategic networking among young women and young
men to strengthen their voices and leadership in the womens movement and taking into
account their diverse voices to highlight intersectional challenges and opportunities; Harness
the lived experiences, knowledge, skills and perspectives of young women to contribute to an
intentional intergenerational approach; Provide opportunities for learning and mentorship of
young women and young men in the normative and policy making spaces for advancing
womens empowerment and gender equality; And provide a safe space for interactive
engagement of young women and girls with other delegates and policy makers through the
process.
OBJECTIVES
Following are the key objectives of the proposed Youth Forum

Strengthen efforts in promoting inclusive participation of adolescent girls, young women

and young men in engendered implementation of agenda 2030 including SDG 5.

Amplify and consolidate voices of adolescent girls/young women and adolescent boys/
young men in the implementation of Agenda 2030.

Enhance partnerships and networks among young women and young men and youth-led
organisations for the implementation of Agenda 2030.

Strengthen youth participating in creative inclusive use of technology, social media as well
as traditional media in achieving gender equality.

Agree on youth priorities for engendered implementation of the SDGs and road map for
follow up after CSW60.
Expected Outcomes
Youth Forum Declaration presented to Commission on Status of Women 60 (CSW60) and
other critical foras.
Expand the Network of Youth and Gender Equality champions.
Launch a technology hub for creative solutions for inclusive use of technology, social media
as well as traditional media in achieving gender equality.
Roadmap for follow up and momentum building.
4|Page

Proposed participants
Adolescent girls, young women and adolescent boys/young men with experience in promoting
gender equality, below the age of 30 will participate in this forum. Special focus will be on
marginalised adolescent girls and young women. Forum aims to convene about 200 young
people from diverse backgrounds and locations ensuring diversity and inclusion.
Date and Venue
11th March at the Salvation Army, International Social Justice Commission, NYC
12th, UN HQ
Possible Partnerships (proposed):
UN Women, YWCA and UN Inter-Agency Network for Youth Developments Working Group
on Youth and Gender Equality
Youth Led Organizations: Major Group on Children and Youth, ICMYO-International
Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations, Youth Groups, World Associations of Girl
Guides, World Organizations of Scouts Movement, YMCA, World Youth Alliance, Indigenous
Youth Cuscus and others.
International NGOs: Save the Children, Plan International, World Vision, Child Fund, War
Child Holland, Search for Common Ground, Girls (20) and others.
Regional Groups: Latin America and Caribbean Global Movement for Children, Iberoamerican Youth Council and others.
Governments: New York City, Mexico, Norway, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Turkey, USA, UK, South
Africa and others..
Private: Adobe, Ford Foundation, MasterCard Foundation, etc.
Proposed follow-up
The consultation process could yield the following outcomes that could contribute to sustaining
the momentum created and advancing advocacy, knowledge and networking around these
issues:

A joint statement YOUTH CSW60 DECLARATION at the opening of CSW60 and its
integration in the Agreed Conclusions of CSW60.
An agreement on a follow-up meeting to sustain momentum.
Technology hub for creative solutions for inclusive use of technology, social media as well as
traditional media in achieving gender equality
Side events to continue to influence youth perspectives in CSW 2016, GA 2016, HABITAT III,
and others.
A database of stakeholders to promote networking, with a special emphasis on south-tosouth and triangular cooperation strengthens young womens participation in development.

Steering Group
World YWCA and UN Women (Co-Chair)

5|Page

Representatives of the UN Inter-Agency Network for Youth Developments Working Group

on Youth and Gender Equality

Fundraising Group
UN Women
YWCA
Member Organizations
This event is in collaboration with UN Inter-Agency Network for Youth Developments Working
Group on Youth and Gender Equality
AUDH
World Common Society
Bahai International
World Association of Girl Guides and
Girls Scouts
Lit World
World organization of Scouts
Manup campaign
Movements
MenEngage

World Federation of UN Associations

Nexus of Middle East and North Africa
World Vision
Office of Secretary General of Envoy on
Working Group on Girls
Youth
World We Want 2030
Plan International
Commonwealth Gender Equality Network
Royal Commonwealth Society
Others (to be added)
UNFPA
UN Habitat
UN SDG campaign
For more information please contact
Rita Muyambo (co-chair)
Head of Programmes
World YWCA
11 Ancienne Route,
CH1218 Grand Saconnex, Geneva
Switzerland
Email: rita.muyambo@worldywca.org
|ritamuyambo |Twitter :@muyambo_r
Mobile : +41 76 294 54 92

6|Page

Ravi Karkara
Senior Advisor Strategic Partnership and
Advocacy
To the Assistant Secretary-General/Deputy
Executive Director
UN Women, 220 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor
(Room No.18-30)
New York, NY 10017, USA.
Mobile: +1 917 319 0161 (New) Tel:
+1646781 4435.
E-mail: ravi.karkara@unwomen.org I Skype:
rkarkara I Twitter: @ravikarkara