SGG 11: Support for Youth and Children’s Development
A core pillar of the Agenda for Social Equity 2074, establishing a universal reference standard for safeguarding the rights, development, and intergenerational potential of children and youth.
Goal Statement and Definition
Goal Statement
Definition
For the purposes of Agenda 2074, support for youth and children’s development refers to the provision of social, educational, health, protective, and participatory systems that enable children and young people to grow, learn, and transition into adulthood with dignity, security, and agency. Development encompasses physical, cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions, and requires age‑appropriate protection, inclusion, and opportunities to participate in decisions that affect present and future well‑being.
Strategic Rationale
Children and youth are the primary carriers of intergenerational equity. Where early development, protection, and participation are compromised, disadvantage compounds over time, leading to long‑term social costs, weakened productivity, and intergenerational inequality. Societies that fail to safeguard childhood and youth development undermine not only individual life chances but also their own future resilience and institutional continuity.
Agenda for Social Equity 2074 therefore positions investment in children and youth as a structural necessity, not a discretionary social good. Effective systems must protect children from harm, enable equitable access to education and care, and provide youth with pathways to participation, skills, and civic engagement. Progress under this goal secures the legitimacy, sustainability, and adaptability of social systems over the 50‑year horizon toward 2074.
Targets
In order to realise this goal, institutions across the public, private, cooperative, and civil‑society spheres should, as a minimum:
- Ensure safe, inclusive, and nurturing environments for children and youth, free from violence, exploitation, and neglect.
- Guarantee equitable access to early childhood development, education, health, and social support services.
- Support smooth transitions from education to adulthood through skills development, mentorship, and opportunity pathways.
- Enable meaningful participation of children and youth in decisions affecting their lives and communities, in age‑appropriate ways.
- Establish protective, monitoring, and grievance mechanisms that uphold the rights and best interests of children and young people.
Targets are rights‑based and context‑adaptive, provided that protection, development, and participation remain central.
Indicative Indicators
Progress under SGG 11 may be illustrated through proportionate, non‑financial indicators, including but not limited to:
- Access to early childhood development, education, and youth support services.
- Safety and safeguarding measures in schools, communities, and digital environments.
- Youth participation in civic, educational, and community decision‑making mechanisms.
- Transition outcomes from education to work, training, or further learning.
- Availability and effectiveness of child‑ and youth‑friendly grievance and protection systems.
Indicators emphasize protection, development, participation, and continuity rather than demographic volumes alone.
Alignment with Global and Regional Frameworks
Social Global Goal 11 reinforces the child‑ and youth‑focused commitments of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well‑Being), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), by framing youth and child development as a systemic equity responsibility.
The goal aligns strongly with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, notably Aspiration 6 (An Africa Whose Development Is People‑Driven, Relying on the Potential of African People, Especially Women and Youth), by emphasizing children and youth as central drivers of social development, governance, and innovation.
In European contexts, SGG 11 complements the European Green Deal by reinforcing the importance of intergenerational justice. It supports policies that ensure children and young people benefit from, rather than bear the costs of, long‑term economic, climate, and societal transitions.
Position within Agenda 2074
