Youth General Assembly United Nations

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 10:02 AM

Scores of youth from across the world packed into the UN General Assembly Hall for the start of two “action days” ahead of the Summit, which begins on Sunday. Felipe Paullier, the first-ever UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, described the Summit of the Future as a once-in-a-generation chance to reshape the multilateral system and put young people at its heart. “Ten years ago, a day like today would have been unimaginable: a day on the official programme of the United Nations dedicated to youth,” he said. “A day when this house recognizes that any agenda - whether it's gender, climate, peace and security, sustainable development or human rights - has the youth agenda as a cross-cutting element of it.” Young people have been “instrumental in shaping the landscape” in preparation for the Summit, said Terry Otieno, a social advocate from Kenya and member of the Major Group for Children and Youth at the... Since 1981 the United Nations recommend Member States to include youth delegates in their diplomatic delegations.

The United Nations have the purpose to strengthen youth participation, to extend the representation of young people and to give the youth a voice in the global decision-making process. For the United Nations participation in decision-making is one of the key priority areas. The youth delegate programme to the General Assembly of the United Nations is coordinated by the Focal Point on Youth at the global level. Nationally the governments around the globe form their own programme which is in every country a little bit different. For this reason the influence and possibilities of the youth delegates are many-faceted.[1] This United Nations–related article is a stub.

You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. The Youth Assembly is a unique platform that cultivates a global network of young leaders and changemakers through exchange, education, action and impact. It empowers the next generation of leaders with opportunities to connect with like-minded peers, trailblazers, and influencers, develop global competence and critical skills, and transform their vision for a better future through innovative action. The Youth Assembly brings together the world’s foremost young leaders and changemakers. The Youth Assembly delegates, age 18 to 35, come from over 100 countries and possess strong leadership potential as well as keen interest in global issues. Since 2004, our most notable speakers have included UN leaders and senior staff, celebrities, and other luminaries from civil society and the private sector.

Past speakers include former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former UN Youth Envoy Ahmad Alhendawi, incumbent UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake, Presidents of the UN General Assembly, former UN Youth Champion Monique Coleman, American economist... Our prominent partners include the United Nations, World Bank Group, UNESCO, ILO, AFS-USA, Idealist, Chemonics, PepsiCo, Microsoft, PwC, Instagram, Virgin Unite, Novartis, SDSN, the Huffington Post, UNA-USA, WCS, the Nature Conservancy, the Climate Reality... Partner with us! Be a part of this unique global gathering of young leaders addressing the world’s greatest challenges. Send a delegation, become a program partner, sponsor the event or support scholarships. Discover ways you can partner with the Youth Assembly

The General Assembly today acknowledged the contribution of the recently created United Nations Youth Office to increased youth engagement in global issues, while also taking up other matters related to the key events in... “The vision of the future we want cannot be fully achieved without young people and their active contribution to the work of the United Nations,” said the representative of Slovakia, stressing that the establishment... Portugal’s delegate also expressed a view that the establishment of the Youth Office reflects “an improvement in engagement with youth”, welcoming the growing recognition of young people’s role in advancing the agreed global framework. The European Union has pledged to contribute €1 million to the Youth Office, its representative said, in its capacity as observer, encouraging the Office to be ambitious in implementing its mandate. She also welcomed that the entity is funded by the UN regular budget, which provides it with a new degree of financial stability, autonomy and independence. The Office should work across the UN system in a cross-cutting way to ensure that young persons are meaningfully engaged in all UN processes, she urged.

“This a significant milestone achievement,” said South Africa’s delegate, citing the appointment of Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier as “the youngest-ever senior official in the history of the United Nations”. She recalled that the Youth Office is tasked with rejuvenating UN workforce and has reviewed the Organization’s internship programmes, stressing the need to ensure that they are coherent, fair and especially accessible to young... Echoing such a view, her counterpart from India said that the Office must be stringent in achieving a geographical balance in its activities and representation. It must amplify the voices of youth from all regions, particularly from developing countries. On 1 February 2025, UNU hosted a special event welcoming His Excellency Mr. Philémon Yang, the President of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, for an enlightening dialogue with students and academics.

The session provided a dynamic forum for young scholars to engage in discussions on the United Nations (UN), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the evolving landscape of multilateralism. The session was moderated by Kaoru Nemoto, Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Tokyo. In her opening remarks, she emphasized the critical role of youth in shaping global policies and encouraged participants to take full advantage of this rare opportunity to engage with President Yang and UNU Rector... In his address, Rector Marwala reflected on key milestones within the UN, with 2025 marking the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter and the 50th anniversary of UNU. The speech celebrated the UN's achievements in nuclear non-proliferation, global health, human rights and climate action, while also acknowledging current challenges such as the slow progress on the SDGs and the need for renewed... Central to this discussion was the UN Secretary-General's vision of “UN 2.0”, which aims to build a more robust, agile and impactful UN.

President Yang then gave comprehensive remarks on the unique place of the UN throughout history and its role within the current multilateral system. Spotlighting the interdependence of the three pillars of the UN — Peace and Security, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development — President Yang highlighted key initiatives he intends to undertake in line with the theme... These initiatives include convening high-level thematic debates, joint meetings on interlinked issues, and task forces focused on meeting the objectives of the Pact of the Future. Stating that, “One of the greatest weapons nature gave us is dialogue,” he emphasized the central importance of creating platforms for inclusive dialogue, highlighting their transformative role in fostering unity and tackling complex global... He concluded his remarks with optimism about the role, agency and capacity of youth. Welcome to the Global Youth General Assembly for The International Youth Network for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250

The Global Youth General Assembly of the international Youth Network for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 is an international platform dedicated to empowering youth worldwide in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution... The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), serves as the focal point for the UN’s work on youth. Within the Department, the Division for Inclusive Social Development, Programme on Youth Unit, coordinates the UN Youth Delegate Programme at the global level. Participation in decision-making is one of the key priority areas of the United Nations agenda on youth. One form of youth participation at the United Nations is through the inclusion of youth delegates in a country’s official delegation to the United Nations General Assembly and various functional Commissions of the Economic... It is the responsibility of Member States to establish a youth delegate programme at the national level, and to decide who will represent the young people of their country at the United Nations.

The roles of a youth delegate varies from country to country, but normally includes providing input to their delegation on issues related to youth and participation in their delegation’s work, such as through attending... Youth delegates can participate in several intergovernmental meetings at the United Nations. Most official youth delegates participate in the General Assembly, but some also attend functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council. English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语 This guide has been developed as a resource for Member States to provide information about the inclusion of youth in their delegations and offers ideas for those with existing youth delegate programmes on how... It includes sections on establishing a programme, suggestions for possible roles of youth delegates and practicalities to be considered.

Youth General Assembly United Nations

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