Youth Declaration for Human Rights

75th Anniversary of the UDHR

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNA-USA will create and launch the Declaration of Human Rights by American Youth. Using the framework of the UN Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and findings from the 2022 American Youth Priorities Report, this Declaration will capture the voices, feedback and leadership of youth from across the U.S. on human rights issues most important to them. Young people are the future world leaders and this Declaration will serve as a unified proclamation that youth not only care about the future of human rights, but youth are taking action today to advance the rights of those in their local communities. The process of drafting this declaration presents young people with an opportunity to learn more about the UDHR, champion youth action on human rights and use their feedback to create a new Declaration that is forward-thinking, more inclusive and rooted in meaningful youth participation. This Declaration can be used as a guiding document for understanding and acting on youth priorities for organizations like UNA-USA and external stakeholders we engage with at the State Department, UN Youth Envoy Office, US-UN Mission and UN Youth Delegates.

Get Involved

Sign the Declaration starting December 8th!
Share your recommendations for the Youth Declaration
Watch a replay of the UDHR 101 Webinar by the UNA Human Rights Affinity Group
Share events, resources and recommendations in our community forum padlet
Host a local development session in your community
Take action and log your community service in Innerview
Share your work with us for a chance to be featured
Attend a virtual human rights development session with UNA-USA to help draft the Youth Declaration

Join the Drafting Committee

Apply by October 25th to join the core group of youth leaders who will draft the Declaration of Human Rights by American Youth. This process will be led by the Youth Observer, UNA-USA staff and a group of advisors. Learn more and apply here!

Share Your Ideas

We’ve created an online forum on Padlet to capture all of your stories, ideas, events and recommendations for the creation of the Declaration of Human Rights by American Youth. Each human rights topic will have a 10-day consultation window where we encourage you to take action, host a local consultation and learn more about this topic in the UDHR. During this time frame, we encourage you to share how you’re engaging with that topic by posting in Padlet – this is a great opportunity to see how the UNA-USA community is also taking action.

Community Engagement Toolkit

Use our Community Engagement & Advocacy Toolkit to host a local development session in your area. Working with UNA-USA community and campus chapters in your advocacy is crucial for maximizing impact; the toolkit is meant to provide you with the information and tools needed to empower you to gather advocates in your area to discuss the various human rights topics in the UDHR, brainstorm ways to take action and come up with recommendations for the Youth Declaration for Human Rights. After hosting a local development session, complete this form to ensure your voices are heard and join a national UNA-USA development session to share your experience with us!

Take Action with Innerview

UNA-USA members are local leaders for the UN’s Global Goals – and now we have a new tool for you to demonstrate your work to your peers, faculty members, and future employers. UNA-USA and InnerView Technologies have embarked on a new partnership with the aim to help young change-makers explore the UN Global Goals, engage in volunteer efforts in their community and develop a service resume. You can use the Innerview mobile app to demonstrate your impact. Be sure to join the UNA-USA group on the app!

Learn More

Uplift Youth Stories

Are you a youth leader actively working to help actualize the SDGs? Are you a human rights expert interested in speaking at a national consultation? Complete this form to share your work with us in order to be featured or invited to help facilitate a consultation. Highlighting youth stories is a vital part of showcasing the power of engaging youth in human rights advocacy. With a youth membership network of over 14,000 youth, UNA-USA is proud to empower young leaders across the U.S. to participate in the formation of the Youth Declaration for Human Rights.

Attend a National Human Rights Consultation

UNA-USA will be hosting virtual consultations on a 2-week basis covering the various human rights topics in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These consultations will be led by the Youth Observer and feature youth leaders and subject matter experts from the UN currently working on these topics. Participants can join these calls to learn more, share their experiences advocating for these issues and participate in an interactive consultation to draft the Youth Declaration for Human Rights. The consultation schedule is as follows:

Health & well-being – May 4
Peace, security & law – May 18
Education, information & advancement – May 25
Civic engagement, participation, & expression – June 8
Housing & migration – June 22
Climate & environment – July 6
Diversity, equality & inclusion – July 20
Climate & environment (part 2) – July 27
Gender equality – August 10
LGBTQIA+ human rights – November 6

Additional Development Sessions for the Declaration of Human Rights by American Youth will be added soon! In the meantime, share your recommendations online using this form.

Additional Information

Please direct all questions and requests to Rachel (Rae) McCave, Senior Associate for Youth Engagement at rmccave@unausa.org.

Declaration of Human Rights by American Youth