- It is set aside to acknowledge and celebrate the impact that young people make in their day-to-day lives through innovation and their voices.
- The day is a reminder to the world of the responsibility to care for and guide the next generation and reflect on how to better encourage the youth to their full potential.
Generation Z and millennials opened up on the challenges they face and how they should be addressed as the world marks International Youth Day. https://shorturl.at/LpMXB
Image: ENOS TECHE
Every August 12, the world unites to celebrate youth and their impact on society.
The International Youth Day is set to recognise the creativity that young people bring to the world and their potential to transform governance and other scopes.
It is set aside to acknowledge and celebrate the impact that young people make in their day-to-day lives through innovation and their voices.
The day is a reminder to the world, of the responsibility to care for and guide the next generation and reflect on how to better encourage the youth to their full potential.
It also celebrates the diversity of the young people.
The Day serves as a reminder of the challenges young people globally face, including educational barriers, limited access to healthcare and economic instability.
When did International Youth Day start?
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) established the Day on December 17, 1999.
This was after it endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth calling for August 12 to be declared International Youth Day.
The first commemoration of the Day took place on August 12, 2000.
International Youth Day is marked by awareness campaigns to bring to attention the socio-economic and socio-political issues affecting young people across the globe.
2024 Theme
This year's International Youth Day theme is "From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development."
The theme highlights the intersection of youth, digital innovation and sustainable development.
It emphasises the crucial role young people play in using digital technologies to drive sustainable progress.
The United Nations notes that as the 2030 deadline for the SDGs approaches, the role of young people in digital innovation is essential for addressing global issues.
"By celebrating the digital contributions of youth, we can inspire further innovation and collaboration towards achieving sustainable development," it adds.
Further, the UN stated that today, there are 1.2 billion young people aged between 15 and 24 years, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population.
By 2030, the UN said, the target date for the SDGs that make up the 2030 Agenda—the number of youth is projected to have grown by seven per cent, to nearly 1.3 billion.
Political uprising led by youths
As the world celebrates the Day, it is important to note the uprisings that have been led by the younger generations in search of better governance and economic stability.
In Kenya, the Gen Zs began their protests on June 18, 2024.
They were calling for the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 and the lowering of the cost of living.
On June 25, the youth managed to storm the Parliament fueled by the legislators passing the bill, which was a first for them
This resulted in President William Ruto declining to sign the Finance Bill and sending it back to the Parliament with a directive to have it withdrawn.
The protests did not cease as the leaderless youth continued with calls for President Ruto to resign over what they alleged to be bad governance, corruption, incompetence in his cabinet and a lack of accountability.
Ruto fired his first Cabinet save for Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi.
On Thursday, August 8, the youths held what was possibly another march against the government.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, more than 50 people have died since the demonstrations started.
In Nigeria, August 11, turned out to be the tenth and final day for the protests over the high cost of living.
From August 1 to August 10, protests were organised under the banner #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
The protesters were demanding that President Bola Tinubu reduce the prices of fuel which increased after he implemented a partial end to petrol and electricity subsidies.
According to The Guardian, 22 people were killed and 175 injured during the protests.
Additionally, the Nigerian newspaper reported that 1,154 arrests were made in connection to the demos.
On Sunday, President Tinubu urged protesters to cease and "create room for dialogue."
In a historical move by Bangladesh Gen Zs, the protests which began in July led to the resignation of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina had led the country for 15 years, which ended on August 5, when she boarded a plane heading for India.
The student protests began over a controversial government job quota system and transformed into nationwide unrest following a harsh crackdown by the authorities.
In a few weeks, almost 300 people were killed, with August 4 recording nearly 100 deaths which caused outrage.
Bangladeshi media say more than 500 people were killed in weeks of the demonstrations, many of them having been shot by the police.
On Thursday, the military-backed interim government, headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in, along with 16 advisers.
Two of the student protest leaders are among the advisers.