Investing in young people and helping them develop skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to succeed... is how we will create a brighter future for all. And with the aim of supporting youth and advancing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, UNODC developed the new Youth Empowerment Accelerator (YEA!) Framework, officially launched last month at the Austrian Chancellery in Vienna.
The YEA! Framework encompasses UNODC’s youth mainstreaming actions to promote meaningful engagement of young people in programmes and projects at the planning, implementation and evaluation stages that are under the umbrella of UNODC’s thematic area of work. It also seeks to make the voices of young people heard through youth forums as well as through various UNODC communication channels through internal cooperation and external partnerships with civil society, the private sector, academia and other key partners including regional organizations. The Youth Initiative, the annual Youth Forum, and the DAPC grants programme all contribute to the YEA! Framework by addressing the world drug problem and striving for meaningful youth involvement.
During the launch of the YEA! Framework in December 2022, we were also able to provide the opportunity to a youth leader to also participate and share youth perspectives on his involvement in youth-focused UNODC events, namely the UNODC Youth Forum 2022. At the launch, Carlos Araujo (from El Salvador), shared his insights gained on the multifaceted nature of drug use prevention, and the wide scope of benefits it can have, from children's early education to adults’ well-being. After his participation, Carlos shared, “For me, it was an immense honour to have been part of the YEA! Framework Launch celebration and to be able to talk about youth empowerment. I was amazed to listen to all the different interactions that UNODC’s Sections have with young people. Knowing how many opportunities there are for young people’s involvement in enriching activities motivates me to become more active, and to participate more!”
The empowerment of youth is a cross-cutting commitment at UNODC; and having reached its 10-year mark in 2022, the UNODC Youth Initiative will continue to support youth education and empowerment in substance use prevention to benefit youth and their peers in 2023 and beyond.