Call for Contributions to the United Nations World Youth
Report 2013: Youth Migration and Development
Background: Youth Migration and Development
Over the past few decades,
political, economic, social and demographic changes in many parts of the world have
stimulated migration of people to cities within and across countries. Recent
evidence suggests that the gradual process of environmental deterioration is
likely to increase the flows of both internal and crossborder human migration
over the next decades.1
According to a recent UN
report, young people represent a major proportion of those migrating annually.
In many cases, the age range 18 to 29 accounts for between 36 per cent and 57
per cent of international migrants.2 The report argues that
young people are the “most mobile among people of all ages” who migrate for
various reasons, including employment, education, family formation and
reunification as well as conflict and persecution.
While considerable
attention is given to the issue of migration and its potential economic and
social impacts on origin, transit and destination countries, to date very
little attention has been given to understanding the livelihood struggles and
opportunities that migration presents for migrants themselves, and in
particular, young migrants. Young people and youth-led organizations working on
migration issues have on various occasions requested a UN study on the
situation of youth migration.
To this end, the 2013
World Youth Report (WYR) is purposed to fill this gap by offering a
multidimensional account of the life experiences of young migrants and young
people affected by migration.
How exactly can you contribute?
As part of the process
leading to the development of the UN World Youth Report 2013, the UN Focal
Point on Youth will organize a number of interactive activities, among them, an
online survey, an e-consultation, a Google+ Hangout with young people and
experts. The aim of these is to give young migrants and other youth affected by
migration the space to share their experiences on migration. These interactive
activities commenced on 23 January and will run until 22 February 2013. To
contribute your ideas and personal experiences:
·
Join the weekly
e-consultations: To
solicit youth perspectives on migration, a 4 week (from 23 January – 22
February 2013) consultative process with young migrants and other young people affected
by migration. Visit the weekly e-discussion page and share your comments on
various issues.3
·
Submit a “Migration Story”:
Are you a young migrant/immigrant or a returnee? Are you a documented
or undocumented young migrant? We would like you to share your personal written
story with us.
·
Fill out the
Survey: We have created two questionnaires for: 1)
Young migrants and return migrants to capture their experiences through the
various stages of migration and 2) Organizations that have an initiative that
aims at enhancing the positive impact of youth migration while mitigating associated
risks.
·
Contribute
an artistic piece: To bring additional meaning to the findings
of the e-consultation and survey, we would like to invite young people to
contribute paintings, animations and photographs to the Report.
Having young people
participate directly through various activities will help us to ensure that the
World Youth Report is based on the perspectives of those young people who
continue to form a significant part of international migrants but have had
limited opportunities to share their views on migration, its opportunities and
challenges. To learn more about how to participate please visit: http://www.unworldyouthreport.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=181
Where will this happen?
The UN World Youth Report
web platform – www.unworldyouthreport.org - has been established by the United
Nations Focal Point on Youth to enable young people to contribute their
personal stories and perspectives on how migration affects them, either as
migrants, return migrants or young people left behind by migrant parents.
Who can participate?
·
Young people including representatives of youth-led organizations
who are aged between 15 to 35 years
·
Young migrants and other young people affected by migration (i.e.
including sons and daughters of migrants, young people left behind by migrant
parents in countries of origin, return migrants, etc.)
·
Organizations who work with or for young migrants or young people
who are affected by migration. We encourage organizations that can engage young
people and migrants who have no or little access to the internet to collaborate
with us in ensuring the full inclusion of these young people in this process.
Support us:
We invite youth-led
organizations, youth representatives, UN agencies and multilateral
organizations, to create awareness and support the participation of young
people in the various activities for the 2013 UN World Youth Report. Interested
organizations and youth representatives can support us through the following
ways:
·
Administer the survey or weekly consultations offline and collect
stories, poems, cartoons and paintings from young people who have difficulty in
accessing the internet. Share their contributions with us via email at youth@un.org
.
·
Feature news about the World Youth Report’s consultative process
and activities in your newsletters, website, networks and social media
platforms. We have created a badge and an e-flyer for this purpose.
Related links and contact:
·
For further information, please email the UN
Focal Point on Youth at: youth@un.org with the subject line: UN
World Youth Report 2013
·
Follow us:
o Facebook/UNyouthyear
o twitter/UN4Youth #youthmigration
______________________________________________________
1 Migration,
Climate Change and the Environment. Policy brief. IOM, March 2009.
2 UN (United
Nations). 2011. “International Migration in a Globalizing World: The Role of
Youth”. Technical Paper No. 2011/1. New York:
Department of Economic and
Social Affairs.
3 Please
note that the commenting system used for the weekly discussions is very
user-friendly. It is easy to log in and contribute using
your existing accounts
such as Gmail or Twitter.
