Forty-three percent of the world’s population is currently under 25 – and the number of young people is rising fastest in those parts of the world with the lowest economic growth. The ICPD Programme of Action made the needs of youth a priority and yet in all countries of the world, progress on youth issues is lagging.
Depsite their enormous stake in the future, youth voices have not been part of the mainstrean development debate. The ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum, in Bali from Dec 4-6 2012 aims to address this. Through a partnership of UN agencies, young people, civil society and the private sector the Forum aims to translate the participatory goals of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development into a sustainable youth advocacy movement.