International Youth Day is a moment to reflect on how global fora for exchange and policy commitments can bridge the gap between youth and institutions. One of the biggest fora for exchange on future generations, the Summit for Democracy (S4D) took place earlier this year. Was it a change driver for youth inclusion? How can the process be improved going forward?
Every year, on 12 August the international community commemorates Youth Day to raise awareness on youth inclusion and celebrate the potential of youth as key actors in today’s global society. Proposed in 1991 by young people gathering in Vienna, Austria, for the first World Youth Forum of the United Nations, Youth Day has since then served as an important moment to fund-raise and promote youth engagement in democratic and decision-making processes.
Earlier this year, the third Summit for Democracy (S4D) taking place in Seoul, South Korea, was dedicated to Democracy and Future Generations, promising to create a global forum on democracy and highlight the current place of youth in our political systems. However, this third iteration of the S4D visibly fell short of inclusivity, placing more importance on technology over youth and providing insufficient spaces for youth to contribute to the discussions.
Youth Day is a moment to once again reflect on the potential of such global fora and how they can be meaningfully used to bridge the gap between young people and institutions.
A Summit on Future Generations?
Subdivided into three moments, the Summit for Democracy first provided space for ministerial statements, focusing on the role of technology in democracy, then to civil society and discussions on youth engagement and finally, in a third part taking place online, to world leaders’ statements.
The second part, dedicated to civil society, saw more than 800 participants and 52 sessions on various topics, ranging from youth political participation to climate change. The Youth Democracy Cohort had a strong presence, with 14 ambassadors and three sessions stressing the importance of bridging the gap between young people and institutions for the future of democracy. The highlight was the panel “From Success to Inspiration”, featuring success stories from all over the world. Yet, the theme of future generations hardly made it to the commitments at the end of the Summit. Youth inclusion was only a faint echo in the Chair’s Summary, which represents the main document of the event. Furthermore, there were no formal commitments by participating governments to strengthen democratic processes.
The crowded number of events ultimately did not allow young participants to meaningfully provide their input. This demonstrates that, despite the Summit’s appeal to those advocating for democratic values to meet and exchange, it still has a long way to go to be perceived as a forum that can mobilize globally and deliver locally. It was hard to define a key message or the top priorities for the aftermath of the Summit, as no mechanism is currently in place to elaborate concrete policy commitments and put them forward. The lack of concrete takeaways to lead policy change was disappointing, given the state of democratic politics worldwide.
What future for the S4D’s commitments on youth?
To become a meaningful forum for exchange and discussion driving policy change on democracy and inclusion, the future S4Ds must represent and engage all stakeholders and from all over the world. More thought must be dedicated to the agenda to ensure it includes the right issues to debate on. At the end of the day, the real value of the Summit process comes from what happens between Summits: analysis, debates and initiatives to identify challenges and opportunities and support actions are key to bringing S4Ds a step forward.
No formal announcement has been made about the organisation of a fourth Summit. This lack of visibility needs to be addressed to design a sustainable framework and strategy for the Youth Democracy Cohort, ensuring concrete results beyond the Summit. Through the Youth Democracy Cohort, EPD will continue to encourage members and partners to share their ideas to maximise the full potential of the Cohort, as we continue our mission to include young people in conversations about the future.
You can find our full analyses of the 3rd S4D on ADRN and on the Youth Democracy Cohort website.
The Summit for Democracy 2024 in images
