#YOUTH2030
CONCEPT NOTE
BREAKOUT SESSION
GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF
WOMEN AND GIRLS
ECOSOC Youth Forum 2016
1 February 2016
3 – 5 p.m.
United Nations Headquarters, New York
1. Background and Context
Sustainable Development Goals #5 (SDG5), which calls for women’s empowerment and the
achievement of gender equality, has its origins in several other world declarations and
conventions: Its message can be traced back to the World Program of Action for Youth
(WPAY)’s Goal on Girls, among many other world declarations and conventions. However,
the United Nations’ sustainable development agenda underscores the importance of realizing
gender equality: Without achieving SDG5, we cannot achieve sustainable development at
large. Following the recent adoption of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), there arises a need to discuss next steps and implementation of the goals. How
best can we work together to achieve SDG5?
Due to the size of the youth population—a staggering 1.8 billion people worldwide—there is a
growing need to involve young men and women in the implementation of SDG5. The youth
population represents a massive potential to unlock the SDGs, and it is equally important that
they benefit from the implementation of the SDGs.
UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD)’s Working Group on Youth and
Gender Equality, with the support of UN Women, the World Association of Girl Guides and
Girl Scouts, and the World Organization of the Scouts Movement, is organizing a session on
Youth and Gender Equality.
2. Objectives
• To strengthen participation in young women and young men in implementing SDG5 and
the WPAY’s Goal on Girls and Young Women, this panel will discuss how to involve
youth in the implementation process of SDG5.
#YOUTH2030
This panel will bring together local and international advocates who focus on youth
development as a means of achieving SDG5, from local youth activists to directors of
international organizations that focus on youth and gender equality. The panel features
members from the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development’s working group on
youth and gender equality, including Gabriella Pinto from WAGGGS, Hany Abdulmonem
from WOSM, and ASG Lakshmi Puri from UN Women. By including members of the
IANYD working group on youth and gender equality, this panel echoes the importance of
representing youth voices in discussions about youth development.
This panel will focus on how best to implement programs and conduct advocacy around
SDG5. SDG5 is a cross-cutting goal, meaning that its achievement moves the world closer to
achieving the other 16 SDGs. Because of this, implementation of programming around SDG5
requires innovation, and involving the youth population can directly contribute to the
achievement of SDG5 at a national, regional, and global level.
3. Flow of the Session and Issues at stake
The 1.5 hour session will be conducted in a talk show format, with a moderator and six
panelists. Each panelist will address the following issues and then take comments and
questions from the floor.
• Introduction: what has been done to achieve gender equality so far, and where we stand
now
• What should be done to achieve those three major goals
o Increase leadership of young women
o Realize economic empowerment and skills development of young women
o End violence against young women girls
• Participation, voice and partnerships with young women and their organization for gender
equality
• Partnerships with young men in gender equality, and Partnerships throughout the life cycle
to achieve a gender transformative society
Proposed Panelists (TBC):
• Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women
• Gabriella Pinto, Head of Advocacy, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
• Hany Abdulmonem, Youth Program Director, World Organization of the Scouts
Movement
• Tennille Amor, female celebrity singer working on youth development and gender equality
• 1 YWCA Representative
• 1 youth activist working on youth development and women’s empowerment in New York
City
#YOUTH2030
Questions for the audience
• What challenges remain for young women and girls to achieve gender equality?
• What should be done to
o Increase leadership of young women?
o Realize economic empowerment and skills development of young women?
o End violence against young women girls?
• How can we encourage young women and organization to participate in gender equality
movement?
• How can we engage young men into gender equality discussion?
• What kind of data/knowledge would be useful to achieve gender equality?
• How we can strengthen policies, standards from gender equality perspective?
• What will be the role of universities and training centers to realize gender equality?
• What kind of campaign would be effective to achieve gender equality?
• What/how can technology do to spread awareness and trigger action on gender
equality?
Suggested reading materials
• Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld/publication
• UN Women Annual Report 2014-2015
http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/6/annual-report-2014-2015
• UN Women policy brief series:
http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/12/un-women-policy-briefseries
• Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016: Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights UN Women:
http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/4/progress-of-the-worldswomen-2015
• Sustainable development goals - United Nations (SDGs):
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
• World Program of Action for Youth (WPAY):
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/wpay2010.pdf
• United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Youth (Youth-SWAP):
http://unyouthswap.org/system/refinery/resources/2015/03/26/19_07_16_511_swap.pdf
• UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/what-we-do/un-inter-agency-network-onyouth-development.html