Youth 21 forum held in Nairobi Kenya from 15th to 18th March 2012. The forum provided an opportunity for youth to discuss means of youth participation in inclusive democratic governance organized by UNDP and UNHABITAT.


th 21 is a global initiative to bring together young people across the world to engage with the United Nations and to nurture youth leadership towards democratic governance and Sustainable Development. As a part of the Youth 21 global initiative, UN-HABITAT and UNDP are hosting the Building for Change Stakeholder Meeting and Global Youth Leadership Forum from 15- 18 March at the United Nations compound in Nairobi. Youth from across the globe, senior leaders of the United Nations, Governments and Civil Society will participate in the this meeting with the immediate goal of finding ways to better engage youth as leaders and decision-makers globally.

There are more people under the age of 25 today than ever, totaling nearly 3 billion or almost half of the total global population 1.3 billion of that total are between the age of 12 and 24.  In spite of the growing number of young people in the world, youth across the world are facing challenges in the context of the multiple crises of governance- particularly in the areas of Economy, Ecology and Ethics. The shrinking job market has left millions of young people jobless, underemployed and excluded from economic opportunities. The year 2011 demonstrated the role of young people in seeking accountability from governments across the world- the mobilization of young people in Wall street, London, Tahrir square- Cairo, New Delhi, Chile, Rome and Spain dramatically highlighted the role of young people in seeking accountability and democratizing governance. This demographic ?youth bulge? provides a unique window of opportunity in which youth globally can be engaged in creating a more sustainable, just and equitable world.

There are key global events which enable such engagement, such as the upcoming Rio +20 conference, in which youth can have direct impact on the decisions made by global leaders, and there are also tools such as social media, which it has been shown is a powerful instrument in the hands of youth in bringing about democracy. . In this regard, UN-Habitat and UNDP  is geared up  to  engage young people from around the world including governments, international partners  private sector players in an initiative entitled Youth 21: Building for Change. Youth 21 for Change forum with a component on  Global Youth  leadership in governance will provide space for  youths and other stakeholders  to  concert and develop activities and  mechanisms through which youth can directly engage in global governance and decision-making  activities, which are necessary to strengthen democratic citizenship and ensure effective youth participation.