There are currently more young people in the world than ever, around 1.8 billion, representing the largest generation in history. Of the 258 million international migrants in 2017, around 11 per cent were under 24 years of age. Young people have a key role to play in policy discussions, and are rising up worldwide for their rights and demanding better opportunities and a seat at the table in decision-making processes.

Against this background, the 2019 International Dialogue for Migration (IDM) – IOM’s flagship initiative for policy discussion – was dedicated to deliberating how to engage and empower young people as key partners in migration governance. The 2019 IDM responded to calls for greater engagement with young people from participants at previous IDMs and was aligned with the United Nations Youth Strategy, which recognizes the potential of young people to advance progress in many policy areas, thanks to their first-hand experience.

Two meetings were organized, the first one in New York on 27 February and the second in Geneva on 15 and 16 October. Some 700 participants attended, representing youth organizations, high-level government offices, non-government organizations, academia, the private sector, and international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union and the African Union. The panelists were a diverse group in terms of origin, age and background, which offered a comprehensive set of actions, practices and opportunities to support and encourage youth involvement in policy- and decision-making processes. 

This publication aims to provide an analysis of the role of young people in  migration governance, how to engage them and how to unlock their potential to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by migration. Moreover, it offers the reader an exhaustive collection of best practices, lessons learned and recommendations gathered from the discussions.