The Body Shop and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth launch global collaboration calling for more young voices in the halls of power their joint the Be Seen Be Heard campaign.
That’s because millions of young people are
missing from public life. With the climate crisis, global conflict and
generational inequalities running rampant, the inputs, perspectives and
representation of youth are needed more than ever.
Almost half the world's population is under
30. Yet, they make up only 2.6% of parliamentarians around the world. The
average age of a world leader is currently 62. Of all the parliaments in the
world, 37% do not have a single Member of Parliament (MP) under age 30 and less
than 1% of these young MPs are women.
Young people have the right to be included
in political decisions that affect them, however, numerous barriers prevent
their participation. The Body Shop and the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General's
Envoy on Youth are collaborating to change this through the global Be Seen
Be Heard campaign to amplify youth voices in public life.
The campaign seeks to create
long-term structural changes to decision-making to be more inclusive of young
people. It was launched last May 11 with the release of a joint report, ‘
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The research found that 82% of people
surveyed agree that political systems need drastic reform to be fit for the
future. Across the board, 84% of people described
politicians as ‘self-interested’ and 75% of people surveyed think politicians
are corrupt.
The majority, two in three people, also
agree that the age balance in politics is wrong, with 8 in 10 people of all
ages believing the ideal voting age (the age when someone can first vote) is 16
to 18, despite that in most countries around the world the voting age is 18 or over.
A third of those under age 30 surveyed would consider running for office versus
only a fifth of those over age 30. People across all age groups agree that more
opportunities for younger people to have a say in policy development and/or
change would make political systems better.
David
Boynton, CEO of The Body Shop says, “Our position is clear. The world’s
problems cannot be solved by the same people making the same choices. Our
research indicates the majority of young people are positive about the future,
and we need to hear their views and ideas inside the halls of power. Be Seen
Be Heard is rooted in creating a fairer world with and for young people,
and together with the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on
Youth – we are on a mission to do exactly that.”
Jayathma Wickramanayake, the United Nations
Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth says, “The intergenerational gap in power,
influence and trust constitutes one of the biggest challenges of our time. As
young people have made abundantly clear through their activism on the streets,
in civil society and on social media, they care deeply about the
transformational change needed to create more equal, just and sustainable
societies. Participation is a right, and this campaign is an opportunity to change
that.”
The Body Shop and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth push for transformational
change. Among other actions, young people’s participation in public
decision-making could be improved long-term by lowering voting ages, increasing
formal youth representation through youth councils, parliaments, or committees,
removing barriers for young people to participate in public decision-making, simplifying
registration for first-time voters, and improving young people’s leadership skills.
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Campaigning in
2,600 stores, in over 75 countries, across six continents. The collaboration between The Body Shop and the Office of the
United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth will mean that young people
and other stakeholders will be able to engage with the campaign through many
routes. Local campaign activations will include partnerships with specific
youth-led or youth-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and/or
opportunities to support through petitions and other activations.
The campaign launched globally in May 2022
and will run until mid-2025. Check out the campaign website for further
information www.beseenbeheardcampaign.com
