Youth Participation In Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

The World Youth  Report on “Youth and  the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “ prepared by the  United Nations Department of Economic  and Social Affairs (UN DESA) examined the mutually supportive roles of the New agenda and current youth development efforts.
The report provided an insight into the role of young people in sustainable development in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related frameworks,in particular, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third international Conference on Financing for Development and the World Programme  of Action for Youth.
The adoption of the 2030 Agenda represented the culmination of an extensive three – year process involving Member States and Civil  Society, including Youth Organizations, in the development of specific goals and targets, which marked the beginning of a 15 – year journey to achieve sustainable  development in 2030.
Today, according to reports,there are 1.8 billion people between  the ages of 10 – 24, which  made them the largest generation of youth in history.  Close to 90 percent of them live in developing countries, where they make up a large proportion of the population.  Their  numbers are expected to grow. Between 2015 and 2030 alone, about 1.9 billion young people  are projected to turn 15 years old.
Connected to each other like never before, young people want to and are already contributing to the resilience of their communities all over the world, proposing  innnovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring  political change. They are also agents of change, mobilizing to advance the Sustainable Development Goals to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.
However, recent estimate of global poverty show that 689 million people  in the world live on $1.90 per day (in extreme poverty ).
According to United Nations, 59 million children in sub – Saharan  Africa  work instead of going to school. Recently, Nigeria was declared as the poverty capital of the world with the major reason  being endemic corruption, making people live in abject poverty, polluted environments and fear of loss of life and property.
For these causes, the sustainable Development  Goals (SDGs)were adopted by United Nations in September 2015 to end extreme poverty, protect the planet and guarantee the security of lines and property by 2030.
Consequently, 82% of African countries have fully accepted the SDGs while 76% of countries have launched a formal process of actualizing it. According to SDGs dashboard, Nigeria ranks 43rd in Africa and 160th in the world in implementing the SDGs.
It is a known fact that Nigeria is home to one of the largest populations of youths in the world today. The median age of Nigerians is  17.9 years. This means most of the population are physically strong and mentally alert, that is open to new ideas, methods and processes. Therefore, the Nigrian youth can play  a significant role in the implementation of the global goals as well as holding their government accountable.
Roles of youths and the Sustainable Development Goals actualisation include youths recognising that part of being young involves making sense of personal experiences and asking questions about the world  around them . Youth have the capcity to identify and challenge existing power structures and barriers to change and to expose contradictions and biases.
Young people also have the power to act and moblise others, that is why youth activism is on the rise all over  the world bolstered by broader connectivity  and access to social media.
In addition to bringing fresh perspectives, young people often have direct knowledge of and insights into issues that are not accessible to adults making youth best understand the problems they  face and how to offer new ideas and alternative solutions.
Outside the international development sector, few people are aware that world leaders have come to a historic, far-reaching agreement to improve the lives of people and the planet by 2030. In this, young people can be partners in communicating this development agenda to their peers and communities at the local level as well as across countries and  regions. When young people are empowered with the knowledge of their rights and equiped with leadership skills,they can drive change in their communities and countries.  Youth-led organisation networks in particular, should be supported and strengthened because they contribute to the development of civic leadership skills among young people especially  marginalised youth.
As torch bearers of the 2030 Agenda, young people all over the world can help achieve the SDGs by getting involved and participating in local Non – Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which is a worth while  way of supporting sustainable development efforts.
Young people can get involved in local politics.  The engagement of young people in local politics is crucial to raising awareness of youth-related issues and demanding change.
Youths all over the world can join Youth Peace to help promote  and maintain international  peace and security in communities. Youth Peace is an In- led intiative that supports young people’s participation in peace-building. It recognises that  Young people play active roles as agents of positive and constructive  change and helps them achieve this. It is important that our youths learn about sustainable development. because it would encourage them to conserve  and enhance their  resource base by gradually changing the ways in which they develop and use technologies.

By: Ibinabo Ogolo with Agency Reports