By Heraldo Muñoz

The recent protest demonstrations in latinamerican countries confirm the urgency to understand the young people´s demands and to double the efforts to face continuous structural problems of our societies, especially inequality. But there are also an opportunity to think twice about the democratic good governance in the 21^st century, the digital era and the activism in the social media.

The increase of those demonstrations also tells us that young people not only want to be heard but also want to take an active part in the development of their societies. In fact, the first Iberoamerican Youth Survey, we presented in Madrid on July 22^nd, shows that young people expect that their participation will increase in the next years. As a consequence, if institutions do not open formal places for young people, the demonstrations will become the most effective way to be heard. Besides, the region will miss the opportunity to capitalize the citizens´participation and to improve the quality of its democratic good governance.

The UNDP has taken part in the process of definition, administration and analysis of Iberoamerican Youth Survey which was prepared in alliance with Iberoamerican Youth Organisation (OIJ), with the two main banks of development in Latin America (BID and CAF) and other partners. Considering our experience of several decades in the production of reports about Human Development, the UNDP has contributed in the construction of the Index Youth Expectations, which is based on the perception and subjective valoration of social, economic and political rights.

More than ever, measuring those expectations is fundamental for the region, especially at this moment of protest demonstrations of young people, who, together with many citizens, aspire a higher quality of public services, an effective response from democratic institutions and decent treatment.

In our survey, young people said the same other people are saying in the street. They expect more as regards the reduction of corruption, violence, poverty and inequality.

The Index of Young Expectations also shows us that two thirds of Iberoamerican young people have a positive view of the future and the expectations about the future are more optimistic than the evaluation about the present. Besides, young people express more confidence in the own capacities than in the environment in which they develop themselves.

The “crisis” environment does not seem to have a lined relation with the youth expectations, the index reveals. For example, the Spanish young people do not show low levels of expectations about the future. Ecuador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua appear in our index of Youth Expectations as the countries with more optimistic young people (followed by Uruguay, Venezuela and Panama) with a wide expectation about the future. On the other side, Portugal, Guatemala and Brazil appear as the countries with the least hopeful expectations/opinions.

Besides the worry about poverty and inequality is reasonably based on recent dta which shows that the incidence of poverty and indigence in the region affect 25% of young people aged between 15 and 29, who do not have their basic needs satisfied, including food ones. However, Latin America has gone through a decade of generalized growth as regards its economies and human capital.

The youth represents a unique opportunity for the development and good governance of the region: from the almost 600 million of latin American and Caribbean people, more than 26% are young people aged 15-29. This is why, as a relevant instrument in our work with thw youth, this year we launched together with OIJ, the on line platform “Young People with Voice”, also with the support of the Spanish corporation with whom we have developed an strategic link of collaboration. The objective is to widen the political participation, to promote the debate and to develop the capacities of young people aged between 15 and 29, especially women, afro descendants and indigenous peoples.

The need to increase and promote youth participation represents one of the biggest challenges within the view of citizen democracy encouraged by UNPD. To achieve this, not only a sustained youth commitment is required but also a social acknowledgement that they are key actors for the development and democratic change. That´s why, the need to support empowerment, articulation and the leadership of young people in the region is the definition of proposals for a plural, integrative and democratic youth agenda.

This is a commitment which we renew with the new generations of Latin Americans who have had and will have the privilege to be born and grow up in democracy.

Heraldo Muñoz is General Subsecretary of the UN (United Nations) and Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)

Column originally published by the magazine Humanum of UNDP.