Civil society organizations and the United Nations agencies, funds, and programs in Guatemala engage in dialogue on the main challenges and opportunities for youth in Guatemala and the region, emphasizing migration, participation, and development.
Guatemala became the setting for a meeting between civil society organizations and the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Felipe Paullier, the first to hold this position within the UN system.
Felipe Paullier, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, during his speech.
Paullier’s visit, a milestone in global attention to youth, brought together social actors and young leaders in a space for exchanging experiences and knowledge, addressing issues such as forced migration, lack of opportunities, and the exclusion of young people from decision-making processes.
Like other countries in the region, Guatemala embodies the tension between a demographic dividend that should be its greatest strength and the structural gaps that push its young population to seek opportunities abroad. The numbers are striking; thousands of young people are forced to leave their communities every year due to a lack of access to quality education, precarious employment, and violence. Migration to the United States becomes one of the few alternatives for those seeking to survive and move forward.
The meaningful participation of young people is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The youth can no longer be seen as a passive or future sector, but as political and social actors of the present, with the right to influence the decisions that affect their lives and their territory,” said Paullier during the meeting. The UN Youth Envoy called for joint efforts among the State, civil society, and international cooperation to address the structural causes of migration and ensure dignified conditions for young people in their countries of origin.
Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Central America was represented by Guatemalan youth participants of the 2024 Central American Emerging Leaders Meeting (ECLE), who shared their vision of the role of new generations in the democratic construction of the region. The young leaders highlighted the need to open more spaces for training and political engagement to face the challenges of their time.
Eddy Simaj, Communications Coordinator of GPF Central America, underscores the importance of ensuring that youth voices are considered in all public policies.
“The biggest challenge we face as youth is ensuring that our voices are not only heard but also considered in the definition of public policies. We don’t want to continue being just a number in migration statistics,” said Eddy Simaj, Communications Coordinator of GPF Central America during the meeting.
The Social Transformation Ecosystem—integrated by Fundación Esquipulas, Global Peace Foundation Central America, the Latin American Presidential Mission, and FUNDAECO—shared its vision and ongoing work in Guatemala and the region to strengthen the capacities of youth and create spaces for participation and influence.
The Ecosystem promotes initiatives such as the Central American Emerging Leaders Meeting; La Opiteca, a space for the articulation of youth critical thinking; and REFGUA, a reforestation campaign that has planted more than 30 million trees in Guatemala and brings together the Aj Tz’uk youth movement, with more than 10,000 people—mainly young people—committed to environmental restoration throughout the country.
Additionally, the program Citizenship Beyond the Vote was highlighted—a project that promotes the political education of Guatemalan youth—as well as Guatemala Youth Talks, a space for debate and proposal-building through artificial intelligence.
The common denominator of these initiatives is the conviction that it is possible to build a Region of Opportunities, where young people are not forced to migrate due to the lack of alternatives in their communities. A region where the Central American Dream, based on peace, democracy, development, and integration, is achievable.
Andrea Pinzón, participant of ECLE 2024 representing GPF Central America.
The conversation with Paullier also brought to the table the urgency of recognizing the diversity of youth and their multiple forms of participation. In Guatemala, indigenous youth and young women face even greater obstacles to accessing education, decent work, and political participation.
“The challenge is enormous, but so is the opportunity. Central American youth are not a problem to be solved but the key to development and peace in the region. At the United Nations, we believe in their transformative potential, and we are here to support that process and achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda,” said the Assistant Secretary-General.
The meeting concluded with the commitment of the organizations present to keep dialogue channels open and to work on a common agenda that prioritizes the rights and well-being of young people. The need to follow up on the agreements and to continue creating spaces where young people take center stage was also raised.
Felipe Paullier’s visit to Guatemala left a clear message: youth are the present, not just the future. Recognizing them as such means guaranteeing them real participation spaces, building inclusive public policies, and betting on a region where no young man or woman has to leave their land to survive.
At Global Peace Foundation, we reaffirm our commitment to continue working with youth to consolidate peace, strengthen democracy, and contribute to achieving the Central American Dream.
Press contact:
📩 esimaj@globalpeace.org
