Uniting 4 Development - The United Nations Inter-agency Network on Youth Development

The United Nations has a long history of working with and for young people. In 1965, the Member States of the United Nations acknowledged that young peoples’ imagination, ideals and energies are vital for the continuing development of the societies in which they live. Twenty years later, the General Assembly declared 1985 as the International Youth Year. Under the title: Participation, Development and Peace it drew international attention to the role of young people in the world and their potential contribution to development. In 1995, the General Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) that remains the basis for United Nations policies in the field of youth development to this day. In 2007, five priority areas have been added to the WPAY, in order to respond to the changing challenges faced by young people. The increased interest in youth at all levels, has also led to the expansion of youth-related activities across the United Nations system and has made it more and more important for United Nations entities to work together, leading to regular meetings of United Nations entities involved in youth development topics. As the benefits of sharing experience and collaborating closer started to show, the group decided to move to a more structured from of cooperation and in 2010 formally created the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD). The present booklet gives an overview of the work of this network, summarizes its history and composition and outlines milestones and achievements since its establishment. It also provides an inventory of “Who does what?” in the field of youth development, giving an overview on the mandates and focus areas of each of the network members. Project spotlights highlight concrete examples of intervention on the ground. For more in-depth information on the work of individual entities, the booklet lists key publications as well as relevant websites.