Children and Youth Roundtable

Young people are consistently overlooked in decision-making processes that shape the future of our cities and communities. It's time for a change. They remain nearly invisible in public decision-making about urban environments. This exclusion limits their capacity to influence their futures and fosters mistrust and scepticism towards existing leadership and global policies. Rectifying this imbalance is crucial to empower youth and ensure their active participation in shaping a future that aligns with their vision and aspirations.

This roundtable serves as a call to action to confront the significant underrepresentation of youth in decision-making that affects urban development and sustainability. This roundtable aims to challenge and change the status quo by empowering youth to actively shape the cities and communities of tomorrow. We will explore strategies to integrate their unique perspectives and innovative solutions, ensuring they play a meaningful role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This event will kick off with local examples of successful youth participation in addressing critical issues such as safeguarding adequate housing, tackling the climate crisis, fostering cross-sector collaboration and driving digitalization. These case studies will highlight the impactful contributions of young individuals and the innovative solutions they bring to the table.

Following these presentations, a dynamic panel discussion will explore how all stakeholders can ensure that young voices are central to creating safe, inclusive and sustainable cities. The conversation will delve into effective strategies for meaningfully engaging young people, identifying the right mechanisms to facilitate their active participation and fostering an environment where their ideas can thrive.

Join us as we bring together thought leaders, policymakers and young changemakers to envision a future where youth are not just participants but key architects of urban development. This session promises to inspire, challenge and catalyse action towards a more inclusive and sustainable urban future.
Linkage with WUF12 theme
The roundtable discussion focuses on enhancing youth engagement in sustainable urban development and achieving the SDGs. It unfolds in three thematic sections:

It All Starts Locally: This section addresses the critical yet often overlooked role of urban youth in sustainability initiatives. It aims to evaluate current youth engagement levels, showcase their innovative contributions and identify barriers to their involvement. The presentations will explore strategies to enhance youth participation in local decision-making processes, emphasizing the need to leverage their energy, innovation and adaptability. Presentations will highlight the different dialogue topics: safeguarding adequate housing, tackling the climate crisis, fostering cross-sector collaboration and driving digitalization.

It All Starts Together (Stronger Together): The discussion will explore how all stakeholders can ensure that young voices are central to creating safe, inclusive, and sustainable cities. It will delve into effective strategies for meaningfully engaging young people and identifying the right mechanisms to facilitate their active participation. The session will also address the essential partnerships that need to be formed to develop policies and initiatives aimed at supporting the most marginalized groups. (Key topics will include enhancing access to digital infrastructure, improving the availability of basic services, and ensuring safety for all young residents in urban areas.)

It All Starts Now: This final section reaffirms the United Nations' commitment, as outlined in the Pact for the Future, to integrate youth in shaping the future sustainably. It emphasizes the importance of nurturing environments that support the full realization of young people's rights and capabilities and stresses the need for meaningful youth participation in UN initiatives and beyond.

Objectives

• Assess the current level of youth engagement and highlight the innovative contributions of young individuals in local contexts.
• To encourage diverse stakeholders to commit to inclusive strategies that enhance youth participation in urban development, ensuring young voices are central to creating safe, inclusive, and sustainable cities.
• Reaffirm the commitment to integrate youth in shaping sustainable initiatives and policies.
• Catalyse discussion, devising and advocating strategies that foster inclusive and effective youth engagement in sustainable urban development, ensuring that young individuals are integral to the global sustainability agenda.

Expected outcomes and impacts

• Enhanced Understanding: Participants will gain a deeper insight into the significance of involving children and youth in the policy-making process, specifically how their contributions can lead to more inclusive and effective outcomes.
• Innovative Ideas and Approaches: By tapping into the unique perspectives of youth, the session aims to generate fresh ideas and innovative approaches to implement and monitor policies and programmes.
• Equitable Engagement: Emphasize the importance of involving young voices from diverse backgrounds in the planning and decision-making processes to reflect a wide range of experiences and needs in urban development.
• Resource Allocation: Discuss the need for adequate resources and platforms that support youth initiatives, enabling effective participation in sustainability projects and policy formulation.
• Partnership Formation: Explore strategies for building sustainable partnerships between governments, private sectors, NGOs, and youth groups to foster a collaborative approach to urban development.
• Emphasize the United Nations' commitment, as outlined in the Pact for the Future, to support the full realization of young people's rights and capabilities.
• Highlight the importance of incorporating youth-led and youth-focused organizations into the fabric of UN initiatives.
• Signal a shift towards inclusive engagement, with a strong emphasis on meaningful participation of young people in future planning and implementation.

Guiding questions

Dialogue 1. It All Starts Locally

• Can you share successful examples where young people have significantly influenced local urban development policies? 
• What are the current barriers to youth engagement in local governance and how can these be overcome?
• How can we ensure that youth contributions are not only welcomed but also actively sought in local decision-making processes?

Dialogue 2. It All Starts Together 

• In the spirit of (working) “better together”, it's crucial to recognize that engagement in urban planning and policy-making is a two-way process. Meaningful participation goes beyond tokenism, ensuring that young people have a real voice in creating safe, resilient and sustainable cities. How can we engage and encourage youth participation effectively? The questions will target engagement strategies, barriers/challenges, successful implementations of such initiatives and the impact of participatory processes on urban development.
• What initiatives have successfully engaged young people in urban planning and policy-making processes? What tangible changes have resulted from these initiatives and how do they reflect the direct input and needs of the youth?
• What are the main barriers preventing young people from fully participating in urban development? How can institutions better communicate and reach out to young people to make them aware of these opportunities? What specific challenges are currently stopping young people from participating, and how can we overcome these obstacles?
• Participatory (youth) budgeting keeps emerging as a way to empower young people. How can we ensure that young people's participation in urban planning is meaningful and not just tokenism? What commitments do institutions need to uphold to make this happen?

Dialogue 3. It All Starts Now

• With your seat at the table, what will you ask for?