Mandate and History

The Children and Youth Constituency for Sustainable Communities (CYCSC) began in 2014 as the Habitat III Working Group (H3WG) of the Major Group for Children and Youth. This Working Group was created to facilitate meaningful child and youth participation Habitat III's preparatory process, and in the development of the New Urban Agenda (NUA). Following the NUA's adoption in 2016, the working group shifted its focus towards follow-up and review efforts. In 2020, the working group changed its named to the Children and Youth Constituency for Sustainable Communities (CYCSC), to reflect its engagement across more than one process.

CYCSC participates in the follow-up and review of the New Urban Agenda per Paragraphs 128 and 162 of the same. In these paragraphs, UN member states encourage the development of guidance for NUA implementation in close collaboration with major groups and other relevant stakeholders, and furthermore that the NUA's follow-up and review process should be supplemented by contributions from major groups and other relevant stakeholders.

"Major groups and other relevant stakeholders" refers to the seventeen (17) categories of self-organized, autonomous social groups and societal constituencies established in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, and then subsequently expanded. These include Children and Youth, Indigenous Peoples, Women, among others. Learn more about major groups and other stakeholders, specifically in the context of High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, here.

CYCSC participates in the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) and ECOSOC Youth Forum through the Major Group for Children and Youth to the HLPF. At the HLPF, we focus on Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and other SDGs related to sustainable urban and territorial development.

Below is a non-exhaustive listing of statements and other inputs given by CYCSC since 2014 (including those delivered in collaboration with others), organized by event/meeting.

HLPF 2018 - MGCY/CYCSC statement on Sustainable Development Goal 11, delivered together with the NGO Major Group

10th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF10), 2020 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Empirates

• WUF10 Youth Declaration

9th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF9), 2018 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• WUF9 Youth Declaration

The below statements were delivered at meetings of UN-Habitat's former Governing Council, which has since been replaced by successor governing bodies.

26th session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council, 8-13 May 2017 - Nairobi, Kenya

• CYCSC/H3WG Statement on Theme 2

• CYCSC/H3WG Statement on Theme 3

25th session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council, 2015 - Nairobi, Kenya

• Statement from IMCS Pax Romana and CYCSC/H3WG

CYCSC/H3WG participated throughout Habitat III's preparatory proces by organizing side events, delivering statements, and commenting on successive drafts of the New Urban Agenda. The basis of the Working Group's participation in this process was an open-ended consultation initiated in 2015 to identify young peoples' priorities for the New Urban Agenda.

Below is a high-level summary of CYCSC/H3WG inputs into Habitat III's preparatory process, with links to documents as available.