With the first ever ‘Youth Action Plan in EU external action’, adopted on Tuesday 4 October, the European Commission aims to mobilise young people in third countries in support of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the twin transitions - green and digital - that the EU is promoting worldwide. It also hopes that the EU will be able to turn these young people into political allies in decision-making processes, both in their respective countries and at the global level.
This 2022-2030 action plan is set out in a joint communication from the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, entitled ‘Promoting meaningful youth participation and empowerment in EU external action for sustainable development, equality and peace’.
“Faced with global challenges, we need to provide opportunities for young people around the world”, said the Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica, presenting the action plan.
Recalling that young people between 10 and 24 years of age currently represent 1.8 billion people worldwide and up to 90% of the population in low and middle-income countries, she said they are “powerful agents of change and innovation”. She said the plan “responds to their demand for greater participation and inclusion” and will be “an important contribution to our pursuit of intergenerational solidarity and equity”.
According to the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, “this plan is about empowering young people, giving them a voice and tools to shape the future through shared solutions to global challenges, for a greener and more peaceful planet. We want to work on partnerships around three pillars”.
A partnership to engage. It is about increasing the voice of young people in policy and decision making. Currently, only 1.6% of the world’s members of parliament are between 20 and 30 years old and less than 12% are in their thirties, Ms Urpilainen stressed.
A partnership to empower. The EU will continue to support the transformation of education worldwide, including through Global Gateway investments, in order to improve young people’s access to economic opportunities, to strengthen young people’s capacity to contribute to sustainable development and to lead the global green and digital transitions as well as to access sexual and reproductive health and rights. The EU will continue to pay special attention to children and young people living in conflict situations.
A partnership to connect. It will promote opportunities for young people to network and exchange with their peers worldwide, bridging the digital divide and reducing the risks of disinformation, the text says.
Key initiatives. A Youth and Women in Democracy Initiative will be launched with €40 million to support youth-led organisations for electoral and democratic reforms. It will also be about empowering young people and bringing their voices into politics.
Most EU delegations in third countries will have youth advisory structures in the coming years, the Commissioner announced.
Also planned is a €10 million fund to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local level in partner countries, with a focus on environment and climate change and the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised youth.
Next year, 25,000 young people from third countries will participate in the Erasmus Plus programme.
In addition, €50 million will fund the Africa-Europe Youth Academy for young people who want to improve their leadership skills and create networks of change-makers in Africa.
See the action plan: https://aeur.eu/f/3e3 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)