12 May 2014: Youth delegates and policymakers at the World Conference on Youth 2014 adopted the Colombo Declaration on Youth, which recommends 88 actions and calls for a stand-alone goal on “increased investment in the global-aid architecture, youth empowerment and private sector investment in strengthening global, regional, national and local partnerships for and with youth in the development, implementation and monitoring of the post-2015 development agenda.” The Conference took place under the theme ‘Mainstreaming Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.’
The Declaration outlines actions related to: inclusive youth-led development; poverty eradication and food and nutrition security; equal access to quality education; promoting healthy lives and access to quality health care; full employment and entrepreneurship; gender equality; ending systemic inequalities; empowering marginalized youth; ensuring inclusive recreation, sport and culture; environmental sustainability, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and youth-centered urbanization; and realizing peace, reconciliation and ending violence; achieving good governance and accountability; youth rights; and inclusive youth participation.
The Declaration also calls for targets and indicators focused on youth as a cross-cutting issue throughout the post-2015 agenda, including disaggregation by age, disability, ethnicity, gender, education level, linguistic base, location, population status and wealth status.
Speakers at the conference underscored the role of youth in bringing about transformative social change, and expressed support for their inclusion in formulating the post-2015 agenda. UN General Assembly President (UNGA) John Ashe described youth participation in discussions on the post-2015 agenda, saying he had taken note of youth’s concerns and desires and shared them with UN Member States, including the Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a message delivered by his Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, described youth needs and demands as one of his top priorities. He welcomed the fresh perspectives of youth “to advance peace, development and human rights around the world.” Alhendawi invited participants to join the Global Partnership for Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda and to crowd-source their priorities for the post-2015 agenda.
The conference took place from 6-10 May 2014, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka hosted the meeting with support from the UN Country Office in Sri Lanka. [Conference Website] [Conference Press Releases] [Publication: Colombo Declaration on Youth] [Summary of discussions] [Ashe Statement] [Ban Statement] [Alhendawi Statement] [Global Partnership on Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda Website]