Youth Forum is an annual event organised by the UNODC Youth Initiative in the broader context of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). Its main objective is to gather young people, nominated by Member States and active in the field of drugs use prevention, health promotion and youth empowerment from around the world. The aim is to allow them to exchange ideas, visions and different perspectives on how to better protect the health and wellbeing of their peers and provide them with an opportunity to convey their joint message to the global level policy makers.
It is often a life changing experience to the participants - the forum allows for networking among the participants as well as learning from the experiences of other youth from different regions of the world, on UNODC, and on global policymaking structures and discussions in the field of drug use prevention and health promotion.
Participatory thematic discussions facilitated by UNODC experts lead to the development of a short consensus statement by the youth to be delivered to the delegates of the CND- the policy making body of UNODC. See the compelling statements of the past years from below!
Passion moves hearts, support moves hands. We have the passion, the heart and the hands: give us the support and change will happen.
Breaking the cycle of substance use tomorrow requires youth engagement in prevention today.
Change lies in your hands, so join forces with the youth for a future we can look forward to.
Together, we have the ability to save the lives, which we are losing, every single day!
You do not inherit the earth from your ancestors, you borrow it from your children.
Together we can and we will change the situation in our communities and truly support the health and wellbeing of our peers.
We are not only the generation of tomorrow, we are the generation of today. We want and we can help!