ASTRA
Statement by Medea Khmelidze, on behalf of ASTRA Youth
and 14 organizations under the Youth Leadership Working Group
Distinguished delegates, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak here on behalf of ASTRA Youth, the Youth Leadership Working Group, and as a member of the Women’s Major Group.
We are just a couple of months before the adoption of the Post-2015 agenda. We must remember that in order to be truly transformative and people-centered, the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review of the Post-2015 agenda must be built on human rights principles; have young people at its core; recognize and address sexual and reproductive health and rights; promote gender equality and eliminate all discriminatory laws to respond to the needs of those made vulnerable and marginalized.
Putting transparent, inclusive, multilateral and multilevel accountability and monitoring mechanisms into practice definitively entails that states must ensure meaningful civil society participation at all stages, including that of diverse youth populations, where young people are fully included in policy making, implementation and monitoring cycles, including gender and participatory budgeting at all levels. An adequate space enabling civil society and particularly young people to meaningfully participate in the follow-up and review framework must be created. Among other elements this requires:
1) Providing young people access to information and review processes in a youth-friendly manner, e.g. through engagement after school hours in familiar and easily accessible locations such as schools or community centers;
2) Undertaking constructive and continuously improved dialogues among youth, community members and relevant stakeholders, who recognize and respond to youth needs, while also acknowledging the diversity of young people.
Whether we really make a change depends not only on how hard we act collectively to establish a truly comprehensive Post-2015 agenda, but on our actions to ensure its progressive implementation, which must respond to the needs and rights of 1.8 billion young people around the globe, who must not be failed. Their future is in our hands here and now.
I thank you,
and 14 organizations under the Youth Leadership Working Group
Distinguished delegates, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak here on behalf of ASTRA Youth, the Youth Leadership Working Group, and as a member of the Women’s Major Group.
We are just a couple of months before the adoption of the Post-2015 agenda. We must remember that in order to be truly transformative and people-centered, the implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review of the Post-2015 agenda must be built on human rights principles; have young people at its core; recognize and address sexual and reproductive health and rights; promote gender equality and eliminate all discriminatory laws to respond to the needs of those made vulnerable and marginalized.
Putting transparent, inclusive, multilateral and multilevel accountability and monitoring mechanisms into practice definitively entails that states must ensure meaningful civil society participation at all stages, including that of diverse youth populations, where young people are fully included in policy making, implementation and monitoring cycles, including gender and participatory budgeting at all levels. An adequate space enabling civil society and particularly young people to meaningfully participate in the follow-up and review framework must be created. Among other elements this requires:
1) Providing young people access to information and review processes in a youth-friendly manner, e.g. through engagement after school hours in familiar and easily accessible locations such as schools or community centers;
2) Undertaking constructive and continuously improved dialogues among youth, community members and relevant stakeholders, who recognize and respond to youth needs, while also acknowledging the diversity of young people.
Whether we really make a change depends not only on how hard we act collectively to establish a truly comprehensive Post-2015 agenda, but on our actions to ensure its progressive implementation, which must respond to the needs and rights of 1.8 billion young people around the globe, who must not be failed. Their future is in our hands here and now.
I thank you,