By EBUN-OLU ADEGBORUWA, SAN
UNITED NATIONS POLICY ON YOUTH PARTICIPATION
The UN's policy on youth participation centers on the Youth2030 Strategy, aiming for meaningful engagement, not just consultation, making youth central to achieving SDGs, promoting human rights, and fostering peace, with initiatives like the UN Youth Delegate program and digital platforms enhancing their voice in policy, driven by principles of inclusivity, gender equality, and tackling barriers like digital divides to empower young people as agents of change.
KEY PILLARS OF UN YOUTH POLICY:
· Youth2030: The UN Youth Strategy: The overarching framework (now in Phase 2: 2025-2030) focuses on youth empowerment, SDG implementation, knowledge building, and ensuring youth voices are heard across all UN efforts.
· Meaningful Engagement: Goes beyond tokenism; it's about tangible youth influence in policy, supported by principles from the Secretary-General's Policy Brief on the topic.
· Youth as Agents of Change: Recognizes young people as crucial for peace, justice, climate action, and sustainable development, empowering them to drive societal transformation.
KEY MECHANISMS & INITIATIVES:
· UN Youth Delegate Program: Young people, selected by their governments, participate directly in UN meetings (like the General Assembly) as part of national delegations.
· UN Youth Office: Acts as a convener and conduit, amplifying youth visions and coordinating efforts across the UN system.
· Digital Platforms: Using technology to understand youth priorities, inform them, and co-create policies.
· Our Common Agenda & Pact for the Future: Calls for greater youth inclusion in global decision-making.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
· Inclusivity & Equity: Removing social, economic, and cultural barriers, especially for young women and girls, to ensure equal access and participation.
· Intergenerational Solidarity: Fostering collaboration and understanding between generations.
· Rights-Based Approach: Upholding youth's fundamental right to participate, as a core human right.
FOCUS AREAS:
· Empowerment: Building skills, capacity, and opportunities.
· SDG Acceleration: Integrating youth perspectives into achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
· Peace & Security: Supporting youth as peacebuilders and ensuring their needs in post-conflict reintegration.
In essence, the UN policy views youth not just as beneficiaries but as essential partners, providing platforms and strategies to ensure their diverse perspectives and solutions shape a sustainable future.
NIGERIAN POLICY ON YOUTH PARTICIPATION
Nigeria's youth policy, primarily guided by the National Youth Policy (NYP) 2019-2023, aims to foster youth participation and development by enhancing rights, education, health, and economic opportunities for the large youth demographic (ages 15-29) to contribute to national goals, though implementation faces challenges like funding and coordination, requiring stronger youth engagement in policy making itself for better outcomes.
KEY ASPECTS OF THE POLICY
· Broad Goals: Promote fundamental rights, improve quality of life, and boost youth involvement in national development and achieving SDGs.
· Target Groups: Acknowledges varying needs, categorizing youth into low-risk, vulnerable, and at-risk groups for targeted interventions.
· Focus Areas: Education, health, sports, economic empowerment, civic engagement, and social well-being.
· Framework: Provides guidelines for government, stakeholders, and youth themselves.
CHALLENGES AND NEEDS
· Inconsistent Implementation: Funding gaps, poor execution, and lack of coordination hinder progress.
· Need for Inclusivity: Calls for genuine youth involvement in policy design (e.g., youth on the table) rather than just planning for them.
· Tapping Potential: The large youth population (over 60% under 25) represents a demographic dividend needing better policy to unlock.
YOUTH RESPONSIBILITIES (UNDER THE POLICY)
· Promote tolerance, respect, and reconciliation.
· Protect public property and the environment.
· Avoid violence, substance abuse, and crime.
· Engage in self-improvement, lifelong learning, and positive lifestyles.
· National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN): Established to amplify youth voices and provide training.
· IOM Youth Strategy (2023-2027): Focuses on empowering youth migrants and aligning with national strategies.
THE CONCEPT OF THE 7Cs
Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, Contribution, Coping, and Control are critical elements that shape our approach. We strive to create an environment that fosters growth, empowerment, and authentic life skills so that the youths involved in all our programmes can build the resilience they need to thrive.
THE CRITICAL PLACE AND ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN LEVERAGING THE YOUNG POPULATION
Until the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Church Militant (Church on Earth) Pillar and Ground of Truth remains the champion of the Great Commission. Part of the neglected mandate of the Church is in the area of discipling the whole youth inside-out. While the world system may endeavour to educate the mind of the young population, only the Church has been given the spiritual paraphernalia to educate the spirit man of the youth. We must not take for granted the fact that Satan, the arch enemy of mankind whose stock-in-trade is to steal, kill and destroy is always on top of his game in destroying the youth of any nation to ensure they lead purposeless lives through sinful practices: social vices, addiction to soul-destructive habits and lifestyles such as illicit drugs, illicit sex and pornography, cultism, violent crimes, abortion, etc. If our Nation’s young population must be leveraged for purposes of National Growth and Development, then keen focus must be directed at gospelizing and discipling the youths God brings within our ministerial influence using the principles of the Kingdom to equip them to function effectively.
THE LIMITS OF YOUTH PARTICIPATION
Every idea has two dangers of either being extinguished or contained. What is being advocated is youth participation, not youth take over. The world is at the threshold of transition to integrate the youth into mainstream leadership which should not be translated as licence to weaken or displace the existing authority of the fathers but rather to create a symbiotic re-alignment. In 1 Samuel 3:5, young Samuel was actively trimming the lamp to keep the altar aflame and despite his direct interaction with God, he reported all his encounter accurately to old prophet Eli by way of accountability and respect for existing authority without any embellishment or fabrication, this notwithstanding the indictment of Eli by God Himself. The youth will be driven with the flame of their vision but they need the fathers to deploy their dreams to interprete the vision. The President of the United States of America is by all definitions not a youth but he has surrounded himself with competent young minds to drive the vision of a new America. When he was appointed as the General Overseer of RCCG in 1981 in his tender age, Pastor E.A. Adeboye appointed old Pastor Abiona as his Deputy General Overseer and retained him in that position until he was called to glory. The fathers represent custodians of sound doctrine, they are mentors, leaders, pioneers and shining examples who have weathered the storms faithfully and have remained steadfast to their calling. Thus, in Job 24:2, a note of caution was sounded that “some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof”, whereas Proverbs 22:28: says clearly that: “remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.” King Solomon in all his wisdom still sounded the note of warning in Proverbs 23:10: “remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless.” Youth participation connotes conscious acceptance of responsibility, not entitlement. A system of checks and balances must be maintained to offer measured control and supervision, in order to sustain the unbroken chain of command.
CONCLUSION
Twenty-five percent of the world population of 1.7 billion is youth. Of this 1.7 billion, 86% live in the developing world. The increase in youth population ages 15-24 has taken place in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Youth are the future and their well-being is critically important to shaping a better future for the world. It is estimated that by 2030, Nigeria’s youth population will peak at about 100 million, with around 70% of the entire population under 30, creating significant opportunities but also demanding massive job creation to avoid instability. RCCG has a significant youth presence, with estimates suggesting young people make up over 60% of its global membership. This constitutes both positive and negative forces, which when properly harnessed will result in national growth and development but if neglected and forsaken, may become ready tools for perpetrators of violence and division. The celebrant (Pastor Adeboye) has accomplished significant leaps in leveraging the population of the youth for their spiritual empowerment but this must be taken to the next level.
A sizable majority of the artists in Nigeria today were once church choir members until they left the church to seek greener pastures and got absorbed by the waiting world. We must not continue in the error of feeding the youth with spiritual food only but also galvanize them into self-sufficiency by creating lasting opportunities for realizing their potentials. The celebrant has been very instrumental in providing the enabling environment to advance the cause and agenda of youth empowerment. He has accomplished significant leaps in leveraging the population of the youth for their spiritual and secular empowerment but it has to be taken to the next level of developing their spiritual energy into profitable ventures that will help in realizing the vision of the church for growth. The positive impact created by the celebrant (Pastor Adeboye) upon the youth cannot be exhausted in any single lecture, as he has by his commitment to and sacrifices for the youth, ignited a positive zeal in their hearts for a glorious future. The challenge is to rebrand and sustain it to galvanize growth and development.
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