12 August 2013: Two members of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel (HLP) on the Post-2015 Development Agenda sent a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, urging the creation of a youth high-level panel (YHLP) on the post-2015 development agenda. This panel would research, consult on and prioritize the views of young people on sustainable development for inclusion in the post-2015 process.

Signed by John Podesta, Center for American Progress, and Tawakkol Karman, Women Journalists Without Chains, the letter urges the Secretary-General to consider establishing a YHLP with gender and geographic equity in the same style as the HLP. The letter recognizes the momentum already created by youth participation in post-2015 discussions, and says the panel could help in “legitimizing the viewpoints” of young people.

The letter stresses that youth engagement is key to the building and implementing of the post-2015 development agenda. [Letter: A Youth High-Level Panel to Guide Global Development] [HLP Website]