Abstract
Youth and adolescent populations constitute a critical set in global population. They are important to development agendas not for their quantity, but for other types of problem that favour the intergenerational reproduction of poverty and establish inequality gaps that accentuate processes of “de-institutionalisation” and “de-socialisation” of these populations and others: education systems insufficiently adapted to the current world of work or to the mass schooling of young people from vulnerable households; precarious labour markets, which many young people enter with poor qualifications; or socioenvironmental conditions that severely affect the health conditions of youth in marginal neighbourhoods. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals clearly signal the path forward for coming years, as well as highlighting the need for stronger, more innovative public policies to ensure “that no young people will be left behind”. The 2030 Agenda represents a unique opportunity for the State, private sector, civil society and the international cooperation system to harness positive synergies to improve young people’s quality of life.
Adolescents; Sustainable development goals; Public policies; Policymaking; Health policies