Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Youth Affairs Jayatma Vikramanayake took part in the presentation of the Group of Friends on Youth Rights, created at the initiative of Uzbekistan. Within the framework of this international project, it is planned to promote the rights of young people of the planet and expand their opportunities.

Almost 2 billion young people live in the world today - this is the largest generation in the history of mankind. In some countries around the world, young people make up to 70 percent of the population, according to the UN News website on 31 March.

At the same time, according to the UN, published before the current crisis, every fifth youth in the world does not study, does not receive vocational training and does not have a job. One in four lives in conflict, and 12 million girls each year give birth to children before reaching adulthood.

The pandemic further exacerbated the situation: at least a third of schoolchildren were denied access to education, about half a billion students were out of school, and 11 million girls may no longer return to their desks. An entire generation faces disaster, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a recent speech. At the same time, extremist groups have become active on social networks, spreading hatred and encouraging young people to join their ranks.

The main objective of the Group of Friends for Youth Rights is to support youth policy initiatives and encourage efforts to develop an international legal instrument on youth rights. Recall that during the general debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed to adopt the Convention on the Rights of Youth. The initiative, as reported from Uzbekistan, has received support from the international community. To date, dozens of countries have joined the Group, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey.

“Despite the growing role of the younger generation in public life, their participation is often limited to consultations, rather than direct influence on decisions and processes that are important for their future,” Bakhtiyor Ibragimov, Permanent Representative of Uzbekistan to the UN, emphasized in his speech.

According to him, youth especially suffer from violence: more than half of all murder victims in the world are under 30 years old, more than 400 million young people live in conditions of armed conflict, about 27 million are international migrants.

The Ambassador expressed the hope that the Group of Friends will play an important role in enhancing the dialogue on youth, promoting discussions on the importance of an international legal instrument on youth rights and, “ultimately, will be transformed into a Working Group to develop a draft convention”. He encouraged other countries to join the Group.