Queensland's unfunded youth peak advocacy body has today been recognised by the United Nations as a key consultative body on youth issues worldwide.

The Youth Affairs Network of Queensland (YANQ) has been granted the much sought after accolade of 'Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council', recognising the organisation's research and advocacy work as world class.

YANQ was defunded by the Queensland Government in December 2012 as part of their deep cuts to youth services across the state.

YANQ committee member Debbie Kilroy has today praised the work of the organisation, saying:

"YANQ has been a strong and consistent voice on the rights of young people and youth workers in Queensland for nearly 25 years."

"Despite being defunded, the youth sector peak has remained committed to its advocacy and research role and has enjoyed strong support from its members across the state."

"This comes at a time when the Queensland Government is cracking down on the rights of young people and funneling money out of frontline jobs that support young people who are doing it tough."

One of the key areas that YANQ works in is pushing for legislation that meets key international conventions, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC). The Queensland Goverment has been under repeated fire for its existing and new youth justice legislation in United Nations reports, from the Australian National Children's Commissioner and from human rights organisations.

The Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie is on record saying that "we ought not sign up to any more United Nation conventions because we do it pretty good in Queensland".

The Youth Affairs Network of Queensland will use its Special Consultative Status to raise awareness around legislation relating to young people's issues that does not meet international human rights conventions. 

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For more information or interviews, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474.

As the collective voice of the state's youth sector, the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland (YANQ) demands that the Queensland Government cease removing funding from youth services that play such an important role in the life of both young people and the broader Queensland community.

In recent times, we have seen a tidal wave of destruction break over the youth sector, with serious consequences for young people - particularly those living in rural areas with limited access to services, and disadvantaged young people throughout Queensland. Many highly successful youth programs have been defunded over the past 15 months. Those remaining, many of whom were already operating on shoestring budgets, have faced funding cuts. Coupled with cuts to frontline services more widely, this has put a great strain on youth services and reduced their capacity to respond to the growing demand for services by young people themselves and other service providers. As the sector's peak body, it is YANQ's responsibility to strongly resist the negative ramifications of these processes.

Small and medium size youth services have generally built strong connections to the local and regional communities they are part of, over many years. These services deserve acknowledgment and support from the Government for the tremendous work they do within such limited resources.

The Queensland Government has an opportunity to build on the...