The Geneva Youth Call organized the first World Youth Assembly this April 2022. We invited young people worldwide, in-person and online, to position themselves as actors on the international stage to represent Youth’s interests, share their ideas, solutions, and values.
For three days, Youth Representatives shaped concrete solutions of the Youth for tomorrow’s challenges related to the environment, with the help of scientific and field experts as well as inspiring personalities. Independent of any state representation, the participants’ solutions have been implemented into the World Youth Charter, a tool for action and advocacy that we handed over on the 8th of June 2022 to Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.
This year, we have chosen to address the challenging theme of Environment. Each year, the World’s Youth will meet to deepen one of the major global themes inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The most important part of this charter is the last one containing the solutions that were elaborated by the World Youth Assembly in April 2022. The Geneva Youth Call will now continue to work with the Youth Representatives from the World Youth Assembly to develop the Appendix which will contain the detailing of the solutions. The Appendix will be available on this page soon.
Summary of the World Youth Charter:
The Charter opens with a message written by Karimot Odebode, a poet, writer and young activist from Nigeria. Though this poem is in Yoruba and in English, her message is: listen to the youth as they want to have a positive impact on the world. The charter is about this message.
The first part entitled « Core Values », defines the commitment of the youth and the values that they undertake. Values such as peace, cooperation, non-discrimination, respect of international law and overcoming national interests are the heart of our initiative.
The second part is a call, a strong call from the youth to be heard, recognized and valued in decision making processes. We are ready to collaborate with the United Nations to develop intergenerational solutions for a more sustainable future. We are convinced that collective and coordinated action, by various stakeholders and based on inclusive, innovative, and democratic decision-making, can solve global problems and prevent social, economic and environmental degradation.
The third part speaks about the means that we have at our disposal to gather the youth and elaborate concrete solutions. And the World Youth Assembly is the laboratory for these solutions. We, the World’s Youth, call for our own means of action, because the Youth has the power to reach all communities through coordinated action, free from national political ideas, serving common goals that transcend borders. Because the Youth comes with a fresh perspective and new answers to address global issues, because the Youth have all tools in hand to build a viable and desirable future.
The most important part of this charter is the last part of the World Youth Charter. For now, it contains 10 concrete solution created by the Youth Representatives of the 1st World Youth Assembly addressing the Theme of the Environment.
