Salzburg delegate urges UN to give young people a policy voice

A 25-year-old from Salzburg serving as Austria’s UN youth delegate urged policymakers to include young people directly in decisions, speaking to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee in New York on Thursday, ORF reports.

Katharina Reisenbauer said young people should not merely be consulted, but should have their perspectives reflected in political decisions. “Young people must be brought directly to the table and share their views with politicians,” she said.

Reisenbauer studied at Sciences Po in Paris and volunteered in several international youth participation projects. She is part of Austria’s official delegation to the UN.

During her stay in New York, she also organised an event on making healthcare more gender-equitable. The discussion focused on structural disadvantages faced by girls, women and non-binary people in the health system.

Healthcare must account for people’s different circumstances and needs, Reisenbauer said, adding that this does not yet happen consistently. The event aimed to discuss remaining gaps and what is needed to address them.