Working with and for youth in vulnerable situations

OHCHR and youth

OHCHR and youth

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OHCHR and youth

About the partnership

In 2021, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) joined forces with Education Above All and Silatech to kick off a partnership focusing on human rights of youth: ‘Working with and for youth in vulnerable situations including conflict, violence, and insecurity’.

The partnership aimed at empowering and mobilizing young people, and particularly those in vulnerable situations, to stand up for their human rights. To do so, the partners worked together with young people, youth-led and youth-focused organizations, to develop and disseminate learning resources on human rights knowledge, skills and advocacy.

In the initial pilot phase and by the end of 2022, key outputs of the partnership included:

  • The establishment of a Youth Advisory Board
  • A series of youth consultations at regional and/or country-level
  • The development of a Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit (later launched as Youth Empowerment System).

In February 2024, OHCHR and EAA signed an agreement for the continuation of the project, building on the results achieved in the first phase. The second phase of the project includes:

  • The establishment of a new Youth Advisory Board;
  • A series of capacity-building activities with youth in Colombia, South Africa, Palestine, and other locations based on the Youth Empowerment System (YES);
  • The organization of a Youth Rights Academy in Geneva. 

Youth Advisory Board

The first Youth Advisory Board consisting of ten young people from different countries and regions was established in early 2022 to provide input and feedback on the overall project direction and focus, and to ensure youth participation throughout the process. That cohort concluded its mandate with the completion of the first phase of the project in December 2022. More information on the first Youth Advisory Board members is available here.

The second cohort of the Youth Advisory Board, consisting of 12 youth human rights advocates from diverse locations and backgrounds, was established in July 2024 to accompany the second phase of the project. The information about the members of the new Youth Advisory Board is available here.

Youth consultations

A series of online youth consultations took place in May-June 2022 at the regional and country level in order to engage with young people on the topic of youth and human rights. More information regarding the consultations is available in the Concept Note. A report from each consultation is available below.*

*Disclaimer: the consultation reports summarize key discussion points and topics raised by participants, and do not reflect the official positions of OHCHR, Education Above All or Silatech.

The outcomes from the consultations fed into the development of the Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit.

Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit

The Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit, aimed at empowering young people to stand up for their human rights was developed through consultations with young people, including the partnership’s first Youth Advisory Board.

The toolkit is primarily intended for use by young people and youth activists, including young human rights defenders and young peacebuilders, as well as youth-led, youth-focused and youth-serving organizations.

In September 2023, the Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit was launched as the YES: Youth Empowerment System, an online platform designed to help young people learn about human rights and make change in their communities. The platform is currently available in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish, and will be further developed in other languages.

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