Young people

The thoughts, principles and energies of young men and women are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. The evils of young men and women, as well as their dreams and aspirations, are a necessary constituent of the challenges facing today's societies and future generations. In all parts of the earth, young citizens, living in countries at diverse stages of growth and in different socio-economic situations, aspire to live better lives in their societies. Convinced elements would help this process, such as ensuring education, access to employment opportunities, adequate food and nutrition, a physical as well as social atmosphere that promotes high-quality health and protection from disease, pleasure of human rights and basic freedom, contribution to decision-making processes etc.
The world has experienced fundamental political, economic and socio-cultural changes. Young people represent agents, beneficiaries and victims of such changes which will inevitably affect us into the next century. In many countries, the changing global situation has created conditions that have made it more difficult to achieve development of youth because of limited physical and financial resources for funding youth programmes and activities, inequities in social, economic and political conditions, including racism and xenophobia, hunger and malnutrition, changes in the role of the family, inadequate opportunity for education and training, gender discrimination; high levels of youth unemployment; armed conflict and confrontation; continuing deterioration of the global environment and increasing incidence of disease.
Today's global youth population, ranging in age from 15 to 24 years, is about 19 per cent of the people inhabiting the earth. The majority of these young men and women live in developing countries, and their numbers are expected to increase well into the twenty-first century. A special concern is that the economic difficulties experienced in many developing countries are often more serious for young people. Although young people in industrialized countries comprise a relatively smaller proportion of the total population, due to generally lower birth rates and higher levels of life expectancy, they are a social group that faces particular problems and uncertainties regarding the future, problems that have to do in part with limited opportunities for employment.