On the 14th of June CHOICE organized a workshop in Geneva to ideate youth inclusion in the United Nations human rights mechanisms, aiming to identify possible solutions the issues youth face to meaningfully participate within the complex UN space.
The workshop brought together a diverse group of 45 individuals, comprising human rights advocates, NGO representatives, diplomats and UN officials. The audience was divided into groups and each group was given a case about relevant youth issues, with the instruction to use design thinking to come to innovative solutions.
Watch this video for an impression of our event!
The four issues tackled were identified from a consultation with CHOICE partners and youth advocates. The issues pertained to understanding the relevance of the UN and how it impacts the lives of young people; how young people can voice their concerns and needs to this complex body; how participating in the UN could become more user- and cost-friendly; and finally how youth could build stronger networks and partnerships to work on these issues collaboratively.
Want to know more about the method we used? This video will explain it to you.
Under the guidance of Deloitte consultants, the teams came to eight innovative solutions that youth encounter trying to engage with the UN. The teams, for example, proposed an innovative funding coach, a simplified toolkit to understand complex UN documents, and an explanatory podcast about the human rights mechanisms and user stories of people engaging with them. Read more about the innovative solutions for youth inclusion at the UN.
CHOICE will continue to build on these innovative ideas and looks forward to collaborating with other NGOs, governments and UN bodies on their successful implementation! Have any questions or suggestions? Reach out to benjamin@choiceforyouth.org and let us know!
CHOICE would not have been able to organize this workshop without the generous support from Deloitte and its consultants, as well as the Dutch Mission in Geneva, UNFPA and the OHCHR.
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