For a 21st century free of drugs : young people from all over the world are mobilizing

Abstract

In order to involve young people from all regions of the world in combating drugs, they had to be given a chance to state their opinions and make recommendations on the subject. Their participation could take the form of written contributions, oral accounts and pictures. Calls for contributions were therefore made through the main UNESCO networks, including UNESCO Associated Schools, UNESCO Clubs and the PEDDRO network. The NGO Environnement Sans Frontière, which was directly involved in the Youth Charter project, also relayed the call for contributions through its various NGO networks. Thousands of young people between the ages of 9 and 25 from more than 80 countries sent in contributions, which are reflected in the Youth Charter for a Twenty-First century Free of Drugs (see annex) which was presented for the first time at UNESCO by two young participants during the international youth meeting. The central purpose of the document is to be a teaching aid in preventive work, and to be used by young people and workers at grassroots level to draw up proposals and actions, stimulate discussion - in short, to make young people aware of drug-related problems and enable them to confront them in a spirit of solidarity.