Youth
In a nationwide, door-to-door survey of more than 2,000 Afghans, 92 per cent said it was “important” for girls to continue their schooling, with support cutting across rural and urban communities.
Among rural populations, 87 per cent of men and 95 per cent of women supported girls’ schooling, while in urban areas the figure was 95 per cent for both men and women.
“This is almost always the first thing girls tell us – they are desperate to learn and just want the chance to gain an education,” said UN Women’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, Susan Ferguson.
“Families also say they want their daughters to have that dream. They know that literacy and learning can change the trajectory of a girl’s life, in a country where half the population is living in poverty.”
In areas where the Taliban ban on women working for NGOs is reportedly enforced, in a separate UN Women telesurvey from July and August 2025, 97 per cent of women surveyed reported that the ban has had a negative impact on their day-to-day lives.
Sunita Dangol’s story didn’t begin with privilege or political lineage. Born in Kathmandu to a farming family from the historically marginalized Newar community, she was only able to complete her schooling thanks to a hard-earned scholarship.
Her drive shaped every step that followed. Dangol became the youngest member of Kathmandu’s city planning commission and soon joined the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Kathmandu Hub, championing civic participation among young people.
At 29, she ran for Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu and won by the largest margin in the city’s elections.
This International Youth Day, 12 August 2025, under the theme Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond, we spotlight stories like Dangol’s, where young changemakers across South Asia are solving the region’s challenges, one city at a time.
Young people are at the forefront of change worldwide. From climate justice to digital inclusion, young people are organizing, innovating and leading real solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges.
This International Youth Day, 12 August 2025, the theme is Local Youth Action for the SDGs. This is a call to action for governments, institutions and businesses to recognize and support young people’s leadership – not just in principle, but in practice.
One powerful example is the Global Shapers Community, a network of 10,000 young people, aged under 30, organized across 500 cities in 150 countries and territories, supported by the World Economic Forum and its diverse partners.
This year, over 2 million Afghans — including half a million children — have returned from Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia; photo: UN News Center / IOM.
Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan women and girls face sweeping restrictions that have stripped them of basic rights and opportunities, deepening poverty and worsening a humanitarian crisis, UN Women and UNICEF warned in a joint statement, according to UN News Center.
According to the Afghanistan Gender Equality Index, the rollback of women’s rights is accelerating the country’s social and economic decline, widening inequality in healthcare, education, employment, security, and governance.
Severe restrictions, severe consequences
Girls are banned from attending school beyond the age of 13, while women are barred from most professions and from political participation. In some areas, women cannot leave home without a male escort, and in many families they are denied the right to make independent decisions.
UN Women estimates that the ban on secondary education for girls costs the country 2.5% of its GDP each year. Restrictions on training female doctors — coupled with limits on women receiving care from male physicians and a decline in foreign aid — have sharply reduced access to healthcare. This has contributed to rising maternal mortality, an increase in child marriages, and more cases of violence against women.
Youth aged 15–35 make up 33 per cent of Myanmar’s population of 60 million, with a national median age of 27. Despite their demographic significance, youth under 35 won only 8 per cent of seats in the 2020 elections. This underrepresentation contrasts sharply with the central role they play in Myanmar’s political and civic life.
From 2010 to 2020, Myanmar youth saw a glimpse of freedom and opportunity. However, the 2021 coup prompted a new wave of youth-led resistance and civic engagement. For many young people, the 2021 coup was not just a political event; it resonated in a deeply personal way, erasing the glimpse of democracy they had experienced and snatching away their hopes for more opportunities and freedom.
Youth were among the first to revolt against the 2021 coup leaders, calling for the restoration of democracy. They flooded the streets in peaceful protests, expressing their resistance through marches, music, performance art, and digital campaigns. Their peaceful efforts were met with a brutal crackdown by the military junta.
On 12 August, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) celebrated International Youth Day by organizing a webinar for members of parliament and international partners that would highlight new tools and initiatives aimed at empowering young parliamentarians. The focus was on enhancing gender equality through efforts that promoted youth empowerment in politics. The event emphasized peer learning, international cooperation and practical tools that helped young leaders become more effective and influential in their political roles and in promoting gender equality.
The Women and Youth Democratic Engagement (WYDE) initiative, funded by the European Union, is a global effort to strengthen youth participation in democratic life. Launched in 2024, WYDE | Women Leadership brings together organizations like the IPU, UN Women, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) to advance women’s political participation and decision-making through social norms change, networking and global advocacy.
Women and youth in democracy: WYDE – the EU’s flagship initiative
The WYDE initiative is a 63 million euro effort implemented by over 20 partners, including the IPU. It is one of the EU’s Youth Action Plan flagship programmes, strengthening the role of young people as active and informed participants in democratic life. The Youth Democracy Cohort (YDC), with over 550 members, advocates for democratic reforms and offers seed grants to its members. The European Partnership for Democracy leads the Global Youth Participation Index, providing a comprehensive overview of youth political participation in over 140 countries.
Through training, dialogue platforms and support for youth-led organizations, WYDE enhances young people’s leadership capacities and promotes their representation in governance. The Democracy Schools organized by the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and the Accountability Hubs are key training and mentoring programmes for young leaders.
WYDE also works to identify and remove systemic barriers that hinder youth participation, such as discrimination, lack of access to political networks and limited civic education. Notable efforts include the cost of politics studies and micro-grants awarded by the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA).