International Youth Day 2024: According to the United Nations, around 16% of the world’s population is between 15 and 24 years old. That is roughly equal to 1.2 billion. Young people around the world are always showing us what it means to be a change-maker and demand an equal world for women and girls, from leading climate action movements to leading social justice movements. They played a key role in the response and recovery of COVID-19. To highlight the importance of youth in the world’s progress, International Youth Day is celebrated every year on the 12th August.
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International Youth Day 2023 Theme
In order to combat ageism and build bridges between generations, the theme for International Youth Day 2023 is “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World”. Our society must embrace and utilize the gifts people of all ages bring, from the wisdom of youth to the energy and idealism of the elderly. It would be impossible to address the world’s problems if entire generations were absent.
| Year | Theme |
|---|---|
| IYD 2022 | Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages |
| IYD 2021 | Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health |
| IYD 2020 | Youth Engagement for Global Action |
| IYD 2019 | Transforming Education |
| IYD 2018 | Safe Spaces for Youth |
| IYD 2017 | Youth Building Peace |
| IYD 2016 | Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainability |
| IYD 2015 | Youth Civic Engagement |
| IYD 2014 | Mental Health Matters |
| IYD 2013 | Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward |
| IYD 2012 | Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth |
| IYD 2011 | Change Our World |
| IYD 2010 | Dialogue and Mutual Understanding |
| IYD 2009 | Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future. |
| IYD 2008 | Youth and Climate Change: Time for Action |
| IYD 2007 | Be seen, Be heard: Youth participation for development |
| IYD 2006 | Tackling Poverty Together |
| IYD 2005 | WPAY+10: Making Commitments Matter |
| IYD 2004 | Youth in an Intergenerational Society |
| IYD 2003 | Finding decent and productive work for young people everywhere |
| IYD 2002 | Now and for the Future: Youth Action for Sustainable Development |
| IYD 2001 | Addressing Health and Unemployment |
Know about World Youth Skills Day.
History of International Youth Day
The General Assembly endorsed International Youth Day in 1999 to recognize the importance of youth participation in current affairs. A key priority of UNFPA is to promote the rights of young people and to assist them in achieving their potential.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can only be achieved if all generations contribute their full potential. Sustainable development requires generational solidarity. To ensure “no one is left behind,” we need to collaborate to foster successful and equitable intergenerational relationships. In addressing global issues, intergenerational solidarity and future generations’ concern are being called for – with the UN Secretary-General putting forward new recommendations on renewed intergenerational solidarity, including in Our Common Agenda – yet many challenges remain.
Definition of Youth by UN
For statistical purposes, Youth is defined as those between the ages of 15 and 24 by the United Nations, without prejudice to other definitions by the Member States. The General Assembly endorsed this definition during preparations for the International Youth Year (1985) (see A/36/215 and resolution 36/28, 1981). As illustrated by the United Nations’ annual yearbooks of statistics on demography, education, employment, and health, all United Nations statistics about youth are based on this definition.
According to that definition, children are those under 14 years old. Nonetheless, Article 1 of the UNCRC defines ‘children’ as people up to 18 years old. Because there was no similar United Nations Convention on the Rights of Youth, it was hoped that the Convention would benefit as many age groups as possible.
Youth is also categorized by many countries according to the age of majority – the age when a person is equal before the law. People are considered adults once they reach this age in many countries, which is often 18. According to specific socio-cultural, institutional, economic, and political factors, the definition and nuances of the term ‘youth’ can vary considerably from country to country.
A distinction should also be made between teenagers (13-19) and young adults (20-24), since their sociological, psychological, and health problems might vary.
What is the number of youth in the world today?
Globally, there is approximately one billion youth. About one in five people are 15-24 years old, or 18% of the world’s population, while children (5-14 years old) make up 19.8%.
Despite an increase in absolute numbers, it is interesting to note that the proportion of young people in the world is actually declining! As a proportion of the total population, the number of young people in the world has decreased between 1980 and 1995. During the 1990s, every region of the world except Africa saw its youth population’s annual growth rate slow down.
| Year | Youth Population | Percentage of Total Global Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 941 million | 19.4% |
| 1995 | 1.019 billion | 18.0% |
| 2025 | 1.222 billion | 15.4% |
| 2065 | 1.4 billion (at the peak) | 13% |
Regional Distribution of Youth Population
The regional distribution of youth described in below table is based on the World Population Prospects, 2006.
| Region | Total population (millions) | Youth population (percentage) | Youth (15-24 yrs)(millions) | Global youth population (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 3,905 | 16.4 | 639 | 62.4 |
| Africa | 905 | 15.9 | 145 | 14.1 |
| Europe | 728 | 14.3 | 103 | 10.2 |
| Latin America & the Caribbean | 561 | 16.9 | 95 | 9.3 |
| Northern America | 330 | 12.4 | 41 | 4.0 |
| Oceania | 33 | 3.0 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Total | 6,465 | 15.8 | 1,024 | 100.0% |
Youth-related declarations, conventions by United Nations
Various instruments and recommendations have been adopted by the United Nations system dealing with youth rights and youth protection.
| Contents of Conventions, Covenants, Recommendations | Year |
|---|---|
| Universal Declaration of Human Rights | 1948 |
| Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples | 1965 |
| International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | 1966 |
| International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | 1966 |
| The Convention on the Rights of the Child | 1979 |
| The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women | 1979 |
| United Nations Guidelines for Further Planning and Follow-Up in the Field of Youth | 1985 |
| United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules) | 1985 |
| Declaration on the Right to Development | 1986 |
| United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty | 1990 |
| United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines) | 1990 |
| The Rio Declaration on the Environment and Development and Agenda 21 | 1992 |
| The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action | 1993 |
| Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development | 1994 |
| Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development | 1995 |
| World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond | 1995 |
| Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women | 1995 |
| The Habitat Agenda and The Istanbul Declaration of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) | 1996 |
| Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World Food Summit Plan of Action of the World Food Summit | 1996 |
| Braga Youth Action Plan | 1998 |
| Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes | 1998 |
| ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work | 1998 |
| Special Session on Social Development (Copenhagen+5), Geneva | 2000 |
| Dakar Youth Empowerment Strategy | 2001 |
Issues Facing Youth Today
The World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond identifies ten issues that governments should prioritize among youth-related issues.
- Education
- Employment
- Hunger and poverty
- Health
- Environment
- Drug abuse
- Juvenile delinquency
- Leisure-time activities
- Girls and young women
- Full and effective participation of youth in the life of society and in decision-making
World Youth Report 2003 identified five new issues that have now been adopted by the General Assembly.
- Globalization
- Information and Communication Technologies
- HIV/AIDS
- Youth and Conflict
- Intergenerational Relations
How to celebrate International Youth Day?
There are many ways to celebrate International Youth Day. Think about how you can spread the message effectively in your community. Spread the message through all your channels in a fun and relatable way. Consider Facebook, Twitter, university newsletters, and local newspapers.
- Radio show with educational content. Request an interview slot with distinguished individuals and youth on popular local/national radio stations.
- Engage young people in an online debate or meeting to discuss their contributions to global issues.
- To promote intergenerational understanding, organize roundtable discussions between adults and young people.
- Youth forums are organized to help young people accept others and promote nonviolence by exchanging ideas and discussing cultural backgrounds.
- The launch of the Year should be celebrated with a (virtual) concert. The keynote speech can be delivered by a politician or policy maker or a combination of both. Invite local musicians and combine it with a panel discussion.
- Make a youth-related “info point” in the middle of town/village, in high schools, or at universities.
- Exhibitions can be organized. Make use of a public space for an arts exhibition that showcases the challenges young people face today or how young people are making a difference. Make youth aware of issues related to culture, arts, and music by involving them in these domains.
- Send a letter to your Minister of Youth explaining the challenges young people face and suggesting solutions. You can find a list of UN Youth Ministers at www.un.org/youth.
International Youth Day FAQs
Every year on 12 August International Youth Day is celebrated.
The theme of IYD 2023 is “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World.”
As of now, the youth population is slightly more than 1 billion.
The major youth issues are – Education, Employment, Hunger and poverty, Health, Drug abuse, Juvenile delinquency, Leisure-time activities etc.
The 1st IYD was observed on 12 August 2000.