Implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond

The Forum was convened by the United Nations in partnership with the Austrian Federal Youth Council bringing together approximately 400 participants from over 150 countries, consisting of representatives of non-governmental youth organizations, agencies and organizations of the United Nations system, and other intergovernmental organizations which represented regional conferences of ministers responsible for youth. For the first time, a diverse number of youth-related intergovernmental organizations participated in the Forum: Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Subcommittee on Youth, Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), Council of Europe North/South Centre Youth Programme, Ibero-American Youth Organizations (OIJ), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Youth Forum, League of Arab States Council of Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports, Organization of African Unity (OAU) Youth Section, and the South Pacific Commission Youth Division. A unique feature of the World Youth Forum was the system of co-management set up between representatives of non-governmental youth organizations and of the youth-related organizations and agencies of the United Nations system. This new partnership, called for by the General Assembly in its resolution 44/59 of 8 September 1989, was reflected in the co-chairing of the Forum's 12 working groups and in the composition of the Forum's bureau which consisted of 12 youth NGOs and 12 United Nations system co-chairs to direct the overall work of the Forum. The report annexed to this note contains the recommendations of each of the 12 working groups of the Forum. The majority of the 400 participants were in the youth age group (especially 18 to 24 years) and over 60 per cent were young women. Those were also unique features of this meeting. As such, the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System at its second session was the most global youth event of its kind ever convened by the United Nations.