The United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) have launched a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) comprising 15 Jamaicans aged 16 to 29 years, to engage the nation’s youth in the pursuit of global sustainable development goals.

The UN-EU YAG was convened at the end of last year and aims to fulfil the agencies’ shared objectives of youth empowerment and active citizenship, by ensuring that the youth voice is considered in shaping policies and programmes.

The group’s mandate includes providing input and feedback on UN and EU policies and programmes, advocating for youth interests and involvement in sustainable development and supporting consultations for the UN Cooperation Framework.

It is also tasked with promoting connections to wider youth networks, engaging in communication and outreach initiatives and strengthening information dissemination on youth issues.

Members of the UN-EU YAG were selected based on their commitment to sustainable development and potential to influence positive change.

Speaking at the launch of the YAG at the European Union Delegation’s office in Kingston today (April 8), EU Ambassador to Jamaica Dr Erja Askola acknowledged the pivotal role that young people play in shaping the future. “We believe that young people are not just beneficiaries but they are active participants and contributors to global solutions. This partnership with the United Nations reflects our shared goal of ensuring that young people have a meaningful say, meaningful voice in decisions affecting their lives and futures,” Dr Askola said.

She noted, further, that the partnership reaffirms the EU’s dedication to creating spaces where young voices are heard and valued.

“This group will serve as a powerful platform to Jamaican youth to contribute to policy discussions and ensuring that their perspectives are taken into account, and they inform the collective efforts towards sustainable development and peace,” the EU Ambassador outlined.

In his remarks, UN Resident Coordinator in Jamaica, Dennis Zulu, noted that the launch of the YAG marks a significant milestone in the UN and EU’s shared commitment to uplifting the voice of young people, ensuring that they are active contributors to the policies and programmes that shape the future.

 “The UN remains committed to creating a sustainable platform that empowers young people to be architects of their own future,” he stated.

Zulu explained that the YAG will be guided by regional and national frameworks such as the UN Youth 2030 Strategy, the EU’s Youth Action Plan, the Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, Vision 2030 Jamaica, the National Youth Policy of Jamaica, and the UN Country Team’s Youth Engagement Action Plan (YEAP).

“Collectively, these frameworks reaffirm the principle that young people must be at the centre of sustainable development,” he further stated.

The UN Resident Coordinator noted that the 15 YAG members, who will serve until 2026, were chosen in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

Acting Senior Director in the Youth and Adolescents Policy Division at the Education Ministry, Yanique Williams, extended gratitude to the leadership of the United Nations and the European Union for their partnership to empower and engage Jamaican youth.

“The Ministry in tandem with the government at large, recognises the important role that youth play in the nation’s development. The launch of the UN and EU Youth Advisory Group is a catalyst for the advancement of the voice of the youth,” she shared.

Williams said the YAG goes hand in hand with the Youth and Adolescents Policy Division’s mandate of developing and empowering the youth. “The Ministry notes that the UN and EU initiative will add another layer, providing avenues for promoting youth participation, and will serve as a tool to empower young people to be advocates of change nationally and globally. These initiatives are working in tandem with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information’s overall agenda of building a more robust and more importantly sustainable youth population,” she outlined.