The voice of youth must be more included for an equitable pandemic recovery

Author: The 30 for 3030 Network*

On 15-16 March, UN Women, with support from the Government of Japan, convened a Regional Dialogue on COVID-19 Recovery. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, stakeholders from governments, the private sector, CSOs and NGOs exchanged best practices for putting women at the heart of recovery efforts. Photo: UN Women/Ploy Phutpheng

Young people need to be more included in the post-pandemic recovery to ensure it is inclusive, equitable and sustainable. Only our full participation in decision-making can bring intergenerational dialogue and foster the necessary civic engagement in the recovery process. Furthermore, it is only fair that our voices be given weight, as young people have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of specific steps to achieve this were identified by our delegation of young leaders from the 30 for 2030 Network when we attended the Regional Dialogue on COVID-19 Recovery: Building Forward Better Women's Leadership and Participation, organized on 15-16 March by UN Women, with support from the Government of Japan.

The event brought together regional and government stakeholders, private sector partners, UN agencies, along with diverse civil society organizations, to discuss key challenges and opportunities, and capture key lessons learned to inform future actions to enable countries to move towards recovery and build forward better for all women and girls. Through our segment, Youth Leadership in COVID-19 Recovery, we talked about our experiences as leaders of our own communities and introduced actionable recommendations:

• Advocating for youth-led solutions: Young people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and they have unique insights and perspectives that can inform the development of effective solutions. Youth leaders can advocate for policies and programmes that prioritize the needs of young people, such as access to education, mental health support, and economic opportunities.
• Mobilizing communities: Young people are often at the forefront of social movements and can leverage their networks and social media platforms to mobilize communities around COVID-19 recovery efforts. They can organize campaigns to promote vaccination and other public health measures, as well as volunteer initiatives to support vulnerable populations.
• Partnering with government and stakeholders: Young leaders can work with government officials and other stakeholders to ensure that youth perspectives are included in decision-making processes related to COVID-19 recovery. They can also advocate for youth representation on task forces and committees that are responsible for developing recovery plans. This also includes developing national and private funding schemes to consistently fund existing youth-led businesses and youth-led non-profit organizations (both registered and unregistered) that focus on COVID-19 recovery, such as initiatives tackling girls and women’s health during a global crisis or COVID-19 protection and prevention measures.
• Innovating and adapting: The pandemic has forced many organizations and industries to adapt and innovate in order to survive, and young people are well positioned to lead these efforts. Youth leaders can bring fresh ideas and new approaches to the table, such as the use of technology to deliver innovative products and services.
• Financial inclusion and literacy: Young women entrepreneurs could benefit from access to funds and opportunities from the local, national and international levels. To achieve this, they require the support of formal and non-formal education, including capacity building, mentoring and peer-to-peer support, as well as assistance with administrative procedures for funding. These resources will ensure that young women can not only survive future crises, but also serve their communities as active stewards and agents of change. Women should and must have financial autonomy, especially in moments of crisis when they are particularly vulnerable. They must have the means to secure and protect themselves and their communities, or even establish their own regenerative care-based economies, protecting them against economic shocks and disruption along with the risks that they uniquely face that come with these times of crisis

Overall, youth leadership in the COVID-19 recovery is indispensable for creating a more resilient and equitable future. The Youth Leadership session in the Dialogue held in March strongly pushed for the necessity to engage in advocacy, community mobilization, partnership-building, and innovation with meaningful youth participation. Young people must be seen, our voices must be heard, and we must be actively engaged in leadership roles to guarantee inclusive and sustainable recovery.