Youth in action for gender equality: Agency! Leadership! Activism! – Implementation guide

Over the past decade, feminist movement building has acquired a new dynamic and visibility because of the activism of young people. A new generation of young women are actively involved in different issues that affect their lives personally, reflecting an acute awareness of the limits of legal and social change that has taken place. Young feminist advocacy, activism, and mobilization has increased worldwide, gaining momentum, force, and support from public and private spheres.

The UN Women Youth Plan of Action (YPoA) 2019–2021 constitutes the implementation strategy of the UN Women Youth and Gender Equality Strategy (LEAP) that was developed in 2017. In alignment with the United Nations Youth 2030 Strategy, the UN Women YPoA seeks to empower young women, young men, and non-binary people through an intergenerational, intersectional approach, focusing on shifting social norms, supporting policy change, fostering girls’ leadership, and amplifying their voices through effective partnerships.

The YPoA is structured around advocacy, where we support and nurture a cohort of youth advocates leading the gender equality agenda for Beijing+25 and beyond. Our capacity-building is based on increasing young women’s leadership through the Learn, Earn, Lead and Transform (LELT) model. We also take a partnership approach to working with young people as equal stakeholders, valuing their knowledge, experience, expertise, and input. Therefore, we emphasize strengthened and effective partnerships with young women and non-binary activists, young women–led and non-binary people–led organizations and networks, as well as young men as partners for gender equality.