Youth

Young people are the driving force behind innovation, progress, and positive change in our world. Dedicated efforts are underway to engage and involve young people from diverse backgrounds, ensuring youth perspectives are integrated into the preparatory process of the Summit. ?UN Youth Office/Joel Sheakoski

Get Involved �C Summit of the Future

Young people are the driving force behind innovation, progress, and positive change in our world. Their energy, creativity, and fresh perspectives are essential for shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for all. Recognizing the crucial role that youth play in global development and shaping our common future, the United Nations is committed to empowering them and amplifying their voices on the international stage.

Dedicated efforts are underway to engage and involve young people from diverse backgrounds, ensuring youth perspectives are integrated into the preparatory process of the Summit. By harnessing the energy and passion of young people, the Summit of the Future aims to create a future that is truly reflective of the aspirations of the next generation.

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Background materials

Enhance your participation and get ready to contribute! Read Our Common Agenda and more

Policy briefs on Our Common Agenda

Ways to get involved

Call to action

We still belive in the promise of a better world for all, do you? Sign the open letter, open to both youth and allies.

illustration showing one raised hand holding a grammaphone and another holding a speech bubble.

Join the 1 Million Actions for Our Common Future challenge. Speak up, and make your voice heard!

Summit of the Future preparations

ECOSOC Youth Forum

16-18 April 2024
New York, USA

The ECOSOC Youth Forum aims to empower young individuals to play an active role in transforming the world into a fairer place and voice their ideas to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

18 April: The third day of the ECOSOC Youth Forum this year is dedicated to the Summit of the Future and will serve as a platform for young people to voice their perspectives, ideas, and vision.

Outcome: The outcome of the Forum will be an informal summary of the proceedings by the President of ECOSOC and a Presidential Statement as input to the Summit of the Future. Additionally, the ��Voices of Youth��, a document co-produced by youth entities and organizations will serve as a direct call to action from young people on the current challenges they are facing and their expectations from the international community.

United Nations Civil Society Conference

9-10 May 2024
Nairobi, Kenya

The Civil Society Conference - focused on the Summit of the Future - will feature a Youth Hub and youth-led activities. All civil society delegations are invited to appoint youth representatives under the age of 32.

Youth have played an active role in preparing their inputs to the Civil Society Conference. On 24 March 2024, Japanese youth organized the Future Action Festival in Tokyo with a focus on the Summit of the Future that was attended by 70,000 on-site and 500,000 online. The survey results and the joint statement will be tied into the Civil Society Conference in Nairobi as contribution from Japanese youth.

More information on the Civil Society Conference website

United Nations Summit of the Future

22-23 September 2024
United Nations Headquarters, New York

There are provisions in the Modalities Resolution for the Summit of the Future for youth participation in the Summit. The opening segment of the Summit will include statements by youth representatives selected by the President of the General Assembly in consultation with Member States. Additionally, young people can participate in the Summit either as part of the official Member States delegations or representatives of entities with a standing invitation to participate as observers, non-governmental organizations that are in consultative status with Economic and Social Council, stakeholders from civil society, academia, and the private sector.

The President of the General Assembly is committed to ensuring transparent and equitable representation, including gender parity, in the selection of participants. All Member States and all other stakeholders are encouraged to include young people as part of their delegation to facilitate their involvement. By fostering an environment that promotes youth engagement and inclusivity, the Summit aims to harness the perspectives of young people in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for everyone, everywhere.

Summit of the Future Action Days

20-21 September 2024
United Nations Headquarters, New York

To generate additional opportunities for the engagement of all actors, the United Nations is convening the Summit of the Future Action Days on 20-21 September 2024 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The Action Days will kick off with a dedicated, youth-led afternoon on Friday 20 September to build momentum and prepare their contribution to the formal Summit. More information will be made available on the Action Days in due course.

Declaration on Future Generations

A Declaration on Future Generations is being negotiated as an annex to the Pact for the Future. It will aim to enshrine the responsibilities that present generations bear towards future generations and result in commitments by Member States to take those into account in policy and decision-making. It will also put in place practical mechanisms for safeguarding their interests and the ability to enjoy their rights.

Although they are far from alone in bearing the burden of protecting the interests of future generations, youth and children are closer in time to future generations. As such, their voices should be given special attention. In the process leading to this Declaration, the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process, the Permanent Representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Jamaica, have organized regular consultations with various stakeholders, including young people. Twenty-nine youth-led and youth-focused organizations have also submitted inputs for the Declaration on Future Generations, which were shared with Member States for their consideration. It is evident that young people are concerned about the fate of future generations and their efforts to draw attention towards protecting the rights of Future Generations is commendable.

More information on the Declaration on Future Generations

Global Digital Compact

The purpose of the Global Digital Compact, negotiated as an annex to the Pact for the Future, is to establish an inclusive global framework, essential for multi-stakeholder action required to overcome digital, data and innovation divides. It aims to foster an inclusive, open, safe, secure, and human-centered digital future for all- one that is anchored in human rights and that accelerates the Sustainable Development Goals.

It is expected that the Compact will outline concrete commitments and actions, among others, towards universal, meaningful and affordable connectivity, to better equip young people with the necessary digital literacy, skills and capacities, to facilitate the inclusion of young people in the digital economy, to strengthen the protection of children and youth online, and to promote youth engagement in global digital fora.

So far, over 500 youth representatives have participated in the informal consultations, led by the Permanent Representatives of Sweden and Zambia on the Compact, both online and in New York. Youth representatives also had the opportunity to engage with the process through regional consultations in Africa, Europe, South America, South Asia and East Asia. Engagement opportunities will continue to be pursued through a number of fora and events around youth perspectives on the Compact.

More information on the Global Digital Compact

Other engagement with youth

Upcoming: Management & Sustainability of Outer Space Activities Conference: Fostering the Outer Space Track of the Summit of the Future led by Government of Portugal and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

UN75 Declaration

The UN's 75th anniversary in 2020 marked a crucial moment amidst global turmoil. To overcome COVID-19 and fulfill commitments to future generations for a thriving, equitable world, it was recognized that a transformative shift in imperative. Member States identified 12 areas of action to transform global governance. Bold thinking, foundational reset, and reaffirmation of core values are crucial steps for collective progress. One of the areas identified is to listen to and work with youth as key to peace and development lies in empowering youth through meaningful engagement and inclusion in decision-making processes for a better future. The General Assembly the Secretary-General to unveil his recommendations to pave the way for a more responsive multilateral framework tackling present and future challenges effectively.

Our Common Agenda

Based on the intensive listening exercise where several hundred thousand young people and representatives of youth-led and youth-focused organizations participated, the Secretary-General presented his vision for the future of global cooperation in Our Common Agenda. In his report, he calls for inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond and deliver for the people and planet and to get the world back on track by turbocharging action on the Sustainable Development Goals. He proposed concrete recommendations for meaningful, diverse and effective youth engagement both within and outside the United Nations, including through better political representation and by transforming education, skills training and lifelong learning.

Further efforts were made to empower young thinkers and leaders, recognizing the importance of youth as architects of their own destinies. Through three impactful initiatives - , , and Intergenerational Action - facilitated by the United Nations Foundation, young voices were amplified through thematic action groups, national dialogues, and intergenerational exchanges. These engagements not only informed recommendations on youth and future generations, but also culminated in the articulation of a distinct vision, ideas, and proposals encapsulated in the report titled "". The report proposes tangible outcomes, helping to drive positive change and create a sustainable future.

UN Youth Office

Following the recommendation in the Secretary-General's groundbreaking report "Our Common Agenda", in September 2022, Member States unanimously agreed to the as a dedicated entity for youth affairs within the Secretariat, building upon more than a decade of work led by the Secretary-General's Envoys on Youth, and marking a pivotal breakthrough for the revitalization and expansion of the UN's engagement with and for youth. While the establishment of the UN Youth Office is indeed significant, we must consider the broader historical context. Youth participation in international law has always been a continuous struggle. The UN Youth Office represents another point in youth��s long history, rather than an entirely groundbreaking development. Recognizing this historical struggle is essential to understanding the challenges and limitations that persist in advocating for young people��s rights and representation. In summary, the UN Youth Office��s creation is a positive step, but we must remain aware of the ongoing complexities and structural limitations in youth participation within international law.

Select engagements with youth

Future Action Festival led by Japanese youth
"Hear our voice! Young People at the Summit of the Future 2024" on UNDP's SparkBlue platform
Beyond GDP Essay Competition by SDG Lab
Space4Youth Essay Competition: Governance of outer space activities: securing space sustainability for future generations led by United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Consultation on a Code of Conduct for Information Integrity Online led by Department of Global Communications
Curtain Raiser 2023 at the SDG Summit