Youth world population accounts to almost 50% of the world population, in Peru it represents over 24% of the population. Youth is the world biggest asset to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). We succesfully implemented the first government facilitated participation and accountability mechanism for the SDGs, it also resulted on the first time in peruvian history that young people formally contributed to a national planning process. We engaged young people across the country through descentralized open forums between government (both local and national) to identify priorities and commitments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The objective was to establish the first formal government facilitated participation and accountability mechanism for the SDGs, it resulted on the first time in peruvian history that young people formally contributed to a national planning process.It offers an innovative way to address SDGs, through partnership building process. We believe that citizen engagement is key to address SDGs, and this engagement has to be facilitated through participation mechanisms. In order for these mechanisms to be effective, they must be provided by the government and in order to make them sustainable, we must start with young people. We are building an annual long term partnership mechanism in which young people do not only contribute with the design and monitoring of public policies, but also in the implementation process through specific committments that impact both locally and nationally.

Youth Civil Society Organizations, Local and National Government.Young people participated in 26 descentralized forums facilitated by government (both national and local) with the partnership between the National Youth Authority and the National Center for Strategic Planning. The first product of this mechanism was the the Youth Vision to 2030 elaborated by over 1300 youth delegates across Peru under the colaboration of the National Youth Authority and the National Center for Strategic Planning. This lead to the implementation of a Ministerial Work Group and a 3 year work plan through Ministerial Resolution 523-2018-MINEDU.

I founded Somos el Presente, a youth lead organization, that has been advocating for youth active role in achieving the sustainable development goals. In order to properly engage young people into implementing the SDGs we must engage them into the design of the public policies that address the SDGs, then engage them as partners for the implementation and monitor of the public policies.

During 2018, I was appointed as National Director for Organization, Promotion and Management of Youth of the National Youth Authority at the Ministry of Education, to design and implement a project to actively engage youth with the SDGs. The result was the Youth Participation Process for the SDGs , which was carried out during 2018 in partnership with the National Youth Authority and the National Center for Strategic Planning, by helding 26 descentralized forums across Peru, engaging youth and government (both local and national) to identify their priorities and actions towards the implemenatation of the SDGs. After the 26 forums, a National Youth Congress was held in which the Youth Vision for 2030 was debated and approved. Document which formally contributed to the Governments Master Plan for 2030, being the first time in Peru´s history in which youth participated in a long term policy planning process.

This will be a continous, anual process. After the Youth Vision for the Country by 2030 was approved, the following years the National Youth Authority and the National Center for Strategic Planning will held the 26 forums across Peru to report back on their actions at regional and national level to young people. Young people will have a formal mechanism for the government accountability of the SDGs and will also commit with specific actions to contribute with the SDGs, being a two way accountability mechanism.

The impact of this work resulted into the implementation of the first formal government participation and accountability mechanism for the SDGs, the first product of this mechanism was the the Youth Vision to 2030 elaborated by over 1300 youth delegates across Peru under the colaboration of the National Youth Authority and the National Center for Strategic Planning.Being an anual process, after the Youth Vision for the Country by 2030 was approved, the following years 26 youth forums will be held across Peru for government to report back on their actions at regional and national level to young people. Young people will have a formal mechanism for the government accountability of the SDGs and will also commit with specific actions to contribute with the SDGs, being a two way accountability mechanism. Finally, this lead to the implementation of a Ministerial Work Group and a 3 year work plan through Ministerial Resolution 523-2018-MINEDU.

The main enabling factor was political will to implement a government facilitated participation and accountability mechanis for youth. This was possible after several years advocating at national and international level.

Our project has given young people a formal participation and accountability mechanism. It is the first time in peruvian history that young people formally contribute to a longterm national planning process (to 2030). It has created an annual descentralized proccess across the country that engages youth but also youth in vulnerability situations such as disabilities and from indigenous communnitties allowing them to formally participate in the implementation and monitor of the sustainable development goals at local and national level. Our initiative, fosters gender equality and women empowerment as the forums are held in a gender parity basis between participants. It is scalable to other nations and as well as local level government. Currently, we are working with the Government of Colombia and Canada to replicate this initiative and with the Andean Parliamentto facilitate a normative international frame that will foster national youth participation mechanisms. At local level, we are developing a much more ambitious participation mechanism for Metropolitan Lima, Peru´s Capital.

We believe that citizen engagement is key to address SDGs, and this engagement has to be facilitated through participation mechanisms. In order for these mechanisms to be effective, they must be provided by the government and in order to make them sustainable, we must start with young people. We were able to deliver the first government facilitated annual participation and accountability mechanism for youth people to engage with the SDGs. This was also the first time in which young people formally contributed to a long term policy planning process. This lead to the implementation of a Ministerial Work Group and a 3 year work plan through Ministerial Resolution 523-2018-MINEDU. Our initiative has laid the foundation to advance youth participation and engagement globally. Currently, we are working with the Governments of Colombia and Canada to replicate this initiative and with the Andean Parliament and to facilitate a normative international frame that will foster national youth participation mechanisms for the SDGs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxe_SnrHkd0
https://juventud.gob.pe/2018/09/ministro-alfaro-llama-a-construir-la-agenda-del-joven-del-bicentenario/
https://juventud.gob.pe/2018/12/agenda-reto-joven-2021-promovera-bienestar-de-la-juventud/
https://juventud.gob.pe/2018/04/senaju-organizo-el-vi-encuentro-nacional-de-coreju/
https://diariocorreo.pe/politica/partidos-politicos-discutiran-sobre-la-participacion-de-los-jovenes-en-politicas-publicas-787632/
https://diariocorreo.pe/politica/miguel-castro-los-partidos-politicos-son-una-plataforma-para-la-formacion-politica-788422/