Around the world, young people have bravely been expressing their frustration with political systems that they perceive as disconnected from their everyday realities. In cases such as Nepal and Madagascar, Gen-Z led protests have been successful in bringing about political change while in others like Philippines and Morocco, the struggle continues in the streets. Despite all the hope and energy, all these movements share a bigger worry that they will be eventually sidelined in shaping new governance structures.
It was in this global context that the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit took place in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain on 7-9 October. The crisis of youth participation is quickly becoming an existential issue for our democracies. The OGP platform and community can become crucial for efforts to reshape how the younger generations engage with their governments. Yet, while nearly half of OGP local and national members have made commitments related to youth, much is more needed to truly embed youth to decision-making at all levels.
The YDC at the OGP Global Summit
The Youth Democracy Cohort made sure to bring the issue of youth participation to the centre of discussions at the Summit. The YDC brought together nine participants from across the globe –from South Korea to Nicaragua– and with a variety of expertise –from digital rights to LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Our delegation, selected through a call for application exclusive to YDC members that received more than 400 applications, included both young people experienced in the OGP processes as well as first-time participants in international conferences. Throughout the event, the participants attended a wide range of sessions on open data, civic space, digital governance and participatory policy-making, gaining valuable insights and connections to bring back to their national contexts. They also met with their country delegations and civil society partners, exploring avenues for stronger youth involvement in policymaking.
The YDC, in collaboration with Accountability Lab and OGP, hosted a workshop bringing together more than 40 youth representatives, civil society actors and government officials. The discussion was the first occasion to provide input that will feed into the review of the OGP Youth Toolkit, allowing an open exchange of experiences and actionable recommendations for civil society and governments who intend to strengthen the civic participation of young people.
What became apparent during the workshop was the complexity of our task. Governments are generally receptive to the idea of involving more young people in politics, but often don’t have the resources or capacity to reach youth in all its diversity. Meanwhile, young people and youth-led civil society have the energy and skills to bring about change but also struggle to find ways to support governments in implementing reforms. This represents both a challenge and a strategic entry point for OGP to strengthen youth engagement in governance and bridge the gap between institutions and its citizens.
Broader YDC-OGP partnership > MoU
At the Summit, the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), in its capacity as co-leader of the YDC, and OGP formalised their collaboration on youth participation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU outlines specific areas of upcoming work, including the review of the OGP Youth Toolkit but also in the relaunch of the OGP Youth Collective as an advisory body composed of young experts in open governance.
This is an important milestone for the YDC, in its effort to continue strengthening youth participation at the local, national, regional and international levels. We have worked closely with OGP to empower the new generation to take an active role in shaping political reforms. In the past year, the YDC has supported local youth organisations in Liberia, Benin, Nigeria, Ecuador and Malawi to meaningfully engage in the co-creation of their countries’ National Action Plans. The Global Summit is also the third occasion that the YDC attends an OGP event, following our participation in the Americas and Africa summits.
The YDC will continue supporting the participation of young people in local and national OGP processes, being bold and innovative in how governments can regain the trust of its citizens by engaging them in decisions being made.