Youth

Context 

Digital technologies have reshaped the space for political discourse, opening new avenues for engagement, advocacy and knowledge-sharing. While these technologies have enhanced inclusion, participation and engagement of women in political processes, they also have implications on safety in the digital space for women in politics and particularly women from marginalized communities.

The rise in technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF GBV) is a case in point. Evidence highlights that TF GBV negatively impacts women in public life especially women in politics. According to a 2021 study of women in parliaments in Africa undertaken by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 46 percent of women parliamentarians had been the target of sexist attacks online.[1]

TF GBV, considered a global problem, refers to any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information and communication technologies or other digital tools,  resulting in or likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms.[2] TF GBV disproportionately targets women political figures, especially women from marginalized communities, leading to self-censorship by women and in extreme cases limiting their public presence in digital spaces.[3] Tools like artificial intelligence have further complicated this evolving landscape, with its vast potential to spread and reinforce harmful gender stereotypes.[4]

At the same time, digital technologies can reform social structures and bridge the gender gap by providing greater access for women to engage in political and public life. This is especially significant for young women, who often face additional barriers to entering traditional political spaces. Social media has proved to be a powerful tool for women to express their political opinions, organize grassroots movements, and mobilize voters. It has provided transformative pathways for women, particularly from marginalized communities, to access political knowledge, build networks, and engage in online campaigns, thus amplifying their voices.

It is imperative to understand that digital technologies can both promote or inhibit women’s equal participation in public life, as well as in politics. Digital technologies are embedded in existing social structures, reflecting and amplifying existing realities. For the digital space to be truly inclusive, underlying social dynamics must evolve. Consequently, inclusivity in the digital space is linked to transforming social realities through healthy gender norms that are based on equality and equity, focusing on the principle of leaving no one behind.

While transformative change is a gradual process, effective policy level changes can prompt positive reinforcement of positive social norms. Therefore, it is essential to introduce legal frameworks supplemented by effective policy level changes to encourage more women, and especially women from underrepresented groups, to have equitable access to the digital spaces where their participation is welcomed.

Please join us in e-discussing the topic of ‘Opportunities and Challenges – Women’s Political Participation in the Digital Age’  based on the following key questions:

1. How can legal frameworks and policy level interventions support women’s safe and equitable access to the digital space, particularly for women in politics? Share examples from your local context. 

2. How can digital technologies be used to promote positive gender social norms and equality in political and public life, as well as in broader societal structures?

3. How can social media platforms be leveraged to inspire more women, especially young women, to become politically engaged, pursue political careers, and connect with experienced women leaders for mentorship and support?

4. How can men support and become active change makers to enable an accessible and safe digital space for women in politics? 

Please join the e-Discussion from 5 November to 30 November 2024 by answering one or more of the above questions. 

Women and men politicians, government representatives at all levels, civil society activists, academics, experts, practitioners and students are invited to contribute with their experiences by answering one or more of the above questions. Young women, members of the LGBTQI+ community, women with disabilities and persons with disabilities, members of indigenous communities, and members of ethnic and religious minorities are especially encouraged to respond. 

We welcome innovative and creative submissions, including videos, images, and written text. Kindly ensure that any visual submission has a short text explaining the intent of the image, and this will help us keep our portal accessible for all. 

You are welcome to send in your submissions to any of the following accounts:

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Threads

X (Twitter)

Or send your comments directly to connect@iknowpolitics.org 

Young people are often excluded or overlooked as political candidates. Politics is typically regarded as a space for politically experienced men, and while women are often disadvantaged in accumulating experience to run for office, young people are systematically marginalized because of their young age, limited opportunities, and projected lack of experience. As the increased political participation of women benefits society as a whole, the presence of young people in decision-making positions benefits all citizens and not just youth. The Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) reports that people between the ages of 20 and 44 make up 57% of the world’s voting age population but only 26% of the world’s Members of Parliament (MPs). Young people under 30 represent 1.9% of the world’s MPs and more than 80% of the world’s upper houses of Parliament have no MPs aged under 30. While young people often play central and catalyzing roles in movements for democracy around the world, they are less engaged than older generations in voting and party activism. Together, these trends have inspired many international organizations to study the lack of youth political participation and train youth activists to become political leaders.  

Recognizing the potential of youth, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) developed its first-ever Youth Strategy (2014–2017), called “Empowered Youth, Sustainable Future”, in line with the UN System-Wide Action Plan on Youth (2013) which calls on young generations to become more involved and more committed in development processes. 2013 also saw the publication of the “Enhancing Youth Political Participation throughout the Electoral Cycle: A Good Practice Guide“, UNDP’s first review of programming strategies for youth political participation beyond the ballot box. In 2016, to further boost the implementation of UNDP’s Youth Strategy and respond to both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on youth, peace and security, UNDP launched a Youth Global Programme for Sustainable Development and Peace – Youth-GPS (2016–2020). The Youth-GPS focuses on civic engagement and political participation, among other areas, and responds to the concerns young people have expressed in global, regional and national forums and the growing demand at all levels for cutting-edge and strategic support in youth programming in all development contexts. In 2016, as a joint initiative of a number of partners including UNDP and IPU, the “Not Too Young To Run” global campaign was launched to elevate the promotion of young people’s right to run for public office and address the wide-spread issue of age discrimination.

In 2010, IPU adopted the resolution “Youth participation in the democratic process” at its 122^nd Assembly and in 2013, established the Forum of Young Parliamentarians. Since then, IPU published two studies, one in 2014 and another in 2016, using a questionnaire to gather data from its Member Parliaments around the world on youth participation in national parliaments. Through these studies, IPU provides a number of recommendations for action which, if acted on, will ensure young people are fully engaged in politics. These include designing strategies by national parliaments and political parties that target the inclusion of young MPs and ensure diversity among youth, addressing the disparities between the number of young men and young women entering parliament. IPU also recommends to align the minimum age for parliamentary candidacies with the minimum voting age and to establish youth quotas (e.g. reserved seats, legislated quotas, party quotas) as a means of increasing the number of young MPs. In 2016 the IPU membership endorsed the document “Rejuvenating democracy, giving voice to youth”, based on the principles promoted by the young parliamentarians of the IPU: “No decisions about us without us”, that outlines how parliaments and parliamentarians could help rejuvenate democracy and give the world’s young people a voice in political decision-making.

In addition, UN Women established the Youth Forum at the CSW in March 2016, allowing global youth representatives to discuss the issues they face and to reflect on ways to help deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 5 on gender equality. UN Women also published CEDAW for Youth in 2016, a youth-friendly version of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) elaborated by young people. International IDEA published in 2016 a report entitled “Increasing youth participation throughout the electoral cycle: entry points for electoral management bodies” documenting the challenges and practices directed at youth inclusion in politics and within different electoral processes.

Objective of the e-Discussion

This e-Discussion seeks to bring the voices of the iKNOW Politics and UNDP4Youth communities into this growing debate on youth participation in politics. Please join the e-Discussion from 03 April to 08 May 2017. Students, young parliamentarians, political party and social movement activists, civil society representatives, youth movements and networks, government and international organizations representatives, and academia are invited to contribute with their experiences by answering to one or more of the below questions. The submissions will contribute to the elaboration of a Consolidated Reply that will augment the knowledge base available on the topic of youth political participation. We look to an informative knowledge-sharing exercise on this topic.

Questions

1. How do you explain the low representation of young people in parliaments and governments around the world?
2. What is an enabling environment for young people’s participation in politics, in particular young women?
3. What can parliaments, governments, political parties, and civil society do to increase young women and men’s representation in politics? Do you have examples of good practices?
4. What are some of the most innovative alternative methods (marches, sit-ins…) to formal political participation that young people choose to bring about change and be heard?
5. How can we support more young people who would be interested in channelling their activism through formal political institutions?
6. What strategies and approaches have been successful in recruiting young men and women in political parties?
7. What can be done to support young MPs in their parliamentary career? Please share any initiatives you are aware of.
8. How can young parliamentarians better address gender equality and women’s empowerment? Are youth more likely to be active in combatting discrimination and gender based violence?
9. How can we best measure youth political participation and policy influence?