Best practices in youth engagement with intergovernmental organisations: a case study from the Rio+20 process

The emergence of youth issues on the international agenda is closely related to the emergence of sustainable development, to the extent that it could be said that a concern with young people is at the core of sustainable development. On one hand, the term sustainable development introduced the concept of future generations, which can be interpreted both as generations to come and the current generation of young people,1 and on the other hand, through sustainable development processes, youth and youth issues came into the focus of decision-makers.2 Stability and sustainable development cannot be achieved without taking into account the voices of young people and without addressing fundamental aspects of their wellbeing. The aim of this contribution is therefore to present the challenges and good practices in the engagement of youth with intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), particularly the United Nations (UN), through analysis of the Rio+20 process and to provide broader recommendations for improving global governance. Although the recommendations for engaging with youth are aimed at IGOs, they are equally applicable to CSOs.