Background: Meaningful Youth Engagement and Asia and the Pacific
Based on demographic trends, the Asia and the Pacific region is simultaneously a very young and aging region. Currently over 1.1 billion individuals between the ages of 15 and 29 live in ADB Developing Member Countries (DMCs). Yet the rate by which populations, particularly in East Asia are aging, will mean that almost one-fifth of the region’s people will be over 65 years old by 2050.
Both are important to the development of the region. Young people are a potentially demographic dividend that drives economic growth, innovation and an inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Youth-led initiatives can strengthen program delivery, mobilize people across generations towards a cause, influence community behavior and attitudes, and provide inputs to development policies.
At the same time, without critical investments on young people’s education and access to economic opportunities (including employment) and increasing their political and social capital, the dividend potential can shift—and put significant strain on a country’s services instead. This risk has increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused massive shocks that disproportionately affected young people. The impacts of COVID-19 on a young person's life are far-reaching and include mental health; employment and income, and education and training, among others. Development institutions are under pressure to deliver response and recovery activities using limited resources to bounce back, which further complicates the role of social dialogue and collective action amidst other priorities.
ADB’s Strategy 2030 highlights the importance of leveraging the region’s young population and ensuring a “society for all.” This focus emphasizes the importance of meaningful and mutually beneficial intergenerational partnerships in addressing the region’s pressing challenges and incorporating a whole-of-society approach in developing a common vision for a post-COVID-19 future.Successful partnerships across generations are contingent upon the meaningful engagement of the actors involved. Although the topic of youth engagement in Asia and the Pacific is not new, current realities and trends reveal an opportunity to reimagine this practice and address gaps to make it more meaningful. For instance, several organizations and studies recognize the role of social dialogue and collective action to design and implement credible, effective, and well-contextualized development solutions.