Call for young people to shape policies at the UN level: Join MYAD's policy consultation network

About Our Organization:

The McGill Youth Advisory Delegation (MYAD) to the United Nations is a youth-led non-governmental organization that has held Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2006. MYAD works to advance community-informed, evidence-based policy and negotiation recommendations in multilateral forums by bridging local voices to global action.

As an ECOSOC-accredited NGO, our organization formally participates in UN processes, including the Commission for Social Development (CSocD), the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

How To Get Involved:

Are you between the ages of 15 and 24? Do you represent an organization that engages, represents, advocates, or works on youth-related issues? If so, we want to hear from you. 

Your perspectives will help ensure that youth voices are reflected in MYAD’s policy and negotiation recommendations to the United Nations. To learn more about our Policy Consultation Network and opportunities to get involved, please complete this form.

More About Our Impact:

One of MYAD​’s proudest accomplishments is that — thanks to our advocacy and the support of a Member State’s delegation — youth were formally recognized as ​“agents of change” in the 2024 Pact for the Future.

What does this mean?

• For all UN Member States that signed the Pact, it is now official: youth are changemakers.

Why is this important? 

• By formally acknowledging the role young people can play, this opens clear pathways for youth to collaborate with governments, civil society, academia, and other key stakeholders to make a real-world impact.

What’s next?

• The next step is to move beyond simply recognizing youth as ​“agents of change,” and work towards making that change happen.

For MYAD, our ultimate goal is to ensure young people have meaningful opportunities to participate in decision-making processes and influence their own outcomes. 

Over the past year, our team has achieved incredible milestones:

• Attended 7 UN forums.
• Developed 28 policy briefs.
• Presented our work to representatives from more than 30+ UN Member States and ECOSOC-accredited NGOs.

A Recent Success Story: At the 70^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) this past March 2026, our delegation presented the policy brief ​“Involving Young Men and Boys in the Work Towards Gender Equality” to numerous Member States, receiving highly positive feedback and actionable steps toward its implementation. To explore this policy in greater detail, along with MYAD’s other presentations at CSW70, read the full policy brief here. 

Keep Updated on Ways to Stay Involved: 

• MYAD​’s Website
• MYAD​’s Instagram: @mcgillyad 
• MYAD​’s LinkedIn
• Email: email hidden; JavaScript is required

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Glossary

1. ECOSOC: United Nations Economic and Social Council. It works to connect with thousands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and manages smaller expert commissions to help guide global action on sustainable development, human rights, and better living standards.
2. Youth: The United Nations defines youth for statistical purposes as persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years.
3. Member State: A sovereign country that belongs to the United Nations.