The report Lead with youth released by the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, in partnership with the UN Youth Office, is a response to the 2022 Youth Declaration of the Transforming Education Summit. It provides the first global baseline assessment of how governments engage youth and student organizations in education legislation and policymaking. Based on surveys issued to both governments as well as youth and student organizations worldwide, the findings paint a picture of participation without meaning: young people invited to the table but not truly heard.

Translating youth voices into positive results

When governments genuinely commit to the principle of meaningful youth engagement and when youth organizations have the capacity to participate effectively, participation can translate into real policy influence and produce positive results.

The report identified success stories across a diverse range of issues, from mental health initiatives to indigenous education, and from policies on phone usage in schools to scholarship programmes.

Youth and student leadership is documented in multiple countries, in schools and universities through councils and unions, in youth-led civil society organizations, in youth and student movements and protests, and in political arenas.

Consultation without influence

The newly proposed global indicator in the new report focuses on one single element that can open doors to youth participation: whether or not countries have formal mechanisms in place for young people to engage in education decision-making.

A survey was issued to all UNESCO member states to address this question. In total, around 93 member states answered, showing that only one in three have laws or policies formalizing their engagement at present. They were more common in high-income countries, liberal democracies and, counterintuitively, in aging societies where young people represent a minority of the population.

Four out of five have established consultation mechanisms, driven largely by advocacy from youth organizations at global, regional and national levels.

Surveys were also issued to almost 500 youth and student organizations, which were mapped by the GEM Report globally. Their answers told a different story. While around 60% confirmed they were consulted during policy design phases, only 35% reported that their feedback was not actually incorporated into final decisions.

Overall, satisfaction with government engagement remains low, with only 20% of youth and student organizations feeling they are genuinely collaborating as valued partners in shaping education policy. School student groups reported the lowest satisfaction levels of all.

Why youth engagement matters now

The need for an accountability mechanism for youth participation in education policymaking reflects not only the demands of young people themselves but also a growing recognition among governments that they need to leverage the vision and insights of education's primary stakeholders. As the global community prepares to develop the framework that will succeed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, young voices are essential for shaping both national education agendas and the next global consensus on education priorities.

Recommendations for meaningful change

Meaningful engagement in education decision requires ownership of the objective by youth, students, governments and all organizations advocating for youth presence and visibility in education decision-making. It also requires creating enabling environments with adequate investment and institutional support, and improved communication between governments and young people.

In line with this, the following recommendations were developed in collaboration with young people, ensuring their voices directly shape the path forward:

Establish formal mechanisms in legislation or regulations that require youth and student participation in decisions on new education legislation or policy.

Ensure that processes inviting participation are meaningful and aligned with principles that guarantee accessible, inclusive and representative participation, with adequate time, capacity-building and resources, clear roles and objectives, safe and voluntary engagement, and transparent communication about how inputs have informed decisions.

Engage youth and student organizations not only in policy design but also in implementation to build greater trust and ownership of decisions.

Support youth engagement by dedicating sufficient curriculum time to civic skills and allocating resources to develop organizational capacity, enabling young people to become active citizens, engage meaningfully in decision-making processes, and overcome barriers to taking up formal roles within governments.