SWOP 2014 

Young people matter

They matter because an unprecedented 1.8 billion youth are alive today globally – and because they are the shapers and leaders of our future. (Slide 1)

They matter because they have inherent human rights that must be fulfilled.

Yet in a world of adult concerns, young people are often overlooked. Their voices are not heard. Their concerns are not taken into account. They are not consulted on matters that affect them and their future.

This needs to change. Not only because it puts have young peopled at risk – of lack of education and unemployment, of early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, of exclusion and poverty