This manual exists as one of a growing library of materials produced by UN-HABITAT for use by and in the One Stop and We Are the Future Urban Youth Centres.

Although the proportion of young people in cities is growing rapidly, few studies take into account the diversity of and views on their urban experiences. This is an examination of the lives, capacities, and agencies of urban youth in the developing world and an identification of significant gaps for research.

In particular, this book provides a highlight of the political economy of youth-focused development in an increasingly urbanizing world. Political-economic processes that shape and are shaped by young people's urban lives get particular attention.

The increasing prominence of the youth bulge in most urban areas presents a unique opportunity, as they represent the most dynamic human resource available. Their numbers today are larger than at any point in human history. Yet this group suffers the most from urban unemployment and often feels that they lack equal access to opportunities.

This is especially acute in developing countries, which have a relatively youthful population that must be mobilised to realise greater economic and social development goals.

Youth are key to the prosperity of cities in the developing world, yet many barriers prevent them from fulfilling this role - most notably access to education, vocational training, and employment. It is crucial that governments and institutions assist youth to overcome these barriers by facilitating equitable access to education and employment.

Participation of Youth representatives from developing Countries at the UN-Habitat World Urban Youth Assembly and World Urban Forum 6.

Urban youth face challenges that need to urgently be addressed. The global youth unemployment rate, which is estimated at 12.6 per cent in 2013, is creating an environment in which young people are unable to satisfy their basic needs. As demonstrated by the  mass protests in many cities globally, young people believe that their voices are not being heard and their needs are not being addressed.

All these issues are exacerbated by the lack of engagement of youth in governance at all levels which in turn undermines their rights as citizens. As this report demonstrates, youth citizenship and engagement in governance is about more than political engagement. It is as much about dealing with limited access to economic resources and socio-political assets. This begins with engaging youth as equal partners, recognizing their rights to participatein decision-making processes and to productively use their knowledge, perspectives, and experience. 

This report is based on data from UN-HABITAT’s Global Urban Indicator Database, as well as surveys of, and focus group discussions with, selected representative groups of young people in five major cities located in four developing regions: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Mumbai (India),  Kingston (Jamaica), Nairobi (Kenya) and Lagos (Nigeria). 

This paper summarizes the outcome of an international conference on addressing the issue of urban youth in conflict with the law in Africa. It discusses the most effective responses to youth crime and violence which centre on prevention and inclusion (especially of youth in government) rather than exclusion, punishment and incarceration.

It also highlights the key role for local governments in developing effective local responses that draw in and support all key local actors (parents, schools, police, businesses).

This Compendium has been compiled to accompany the Workshop on Strategies and best practices in crime prevention, in particular in relation to urban crime and youth at risk in the context of the 11th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Bangkok, Thailand from 18-25th April 2005.

The goal of this document is to make evident the situation of young people living at risk in Latin America and to propose policies to face this problem.