30 Years of the World Programme of Action for Youth

From Global Reflection to Regional Renewal 

2025 marks a historic milestone for the world’s youth. Thirty years have passed since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY), the first global framework designed to guide both national and international efforts to improve young people’s lives. It was a visionary document, setting fifteen priority areas that still define the youth agenda today: from education, employment, health, and participation in all aspects of society (political, economic, and social), to the environment, globalization, and intergenerational issues. 

Three decades later, the world has changed profoundly, but the aspirations remain the same. The 30th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY), celebrated at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 25 September 2025, brought together Member States, UN entities, youth delegates, and civil society from across the globe to reflect on progress made, challenges persisting, and the collective path forward. For the first time ever, the commemoration was held during the United Nations General Assembly week, underscoring the renewed global commitment to youth development at the highest policy level. This milestone builds on earlier reviews and global gatherings, including the Ten-Year Review of the WPAY held in October 2005, the First Global Forum on Youth Policies convened in Baku in 2014 to advance the WPAY’s implementation through national youth policy development, and the High-Level Event of the General Assembly marking the 20th Anniversary of the WPAY, held on 29 May 2015 at UN Headquarters. Together, these moments trace a continuum of international efforts to operationalize the WPAY’s vision and reaffirm youth as partners in sustainable development. 

Photo by Eliane El Haber, United Nations Headquarters, New York — 25 September 2025 

A Call for Intergenerational Collaboration 

The High-Level Meeting, held under the theme “Accelerating Global Progress through Intergenerational Collaboration”, was a reminder that sustainable progress depends on shared leadership between generations. 

As delivered by Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy, on behalf of the UN Secretary-General: 

“Action for young people cuts across every issue – and young people are not just beneficiaries, they are drivers of change.” 

This anniversary also coincides with the halfway point of Youth2030, three years since the creation of the UN Youth Office, and one year since the adoption of the Pact for the Future. Together, these milestones represent a pivotal convergence for youth policy worldwide. They also intersect with the 10th anniversary of the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda, reaffirming the essential role of young people in sustaining peace, preventing conflict, and rebuilding trust between institutions and communities. The WPAY, anchored now in the Pact’s Working Group on Youth, continues to inspire concrete commitments to financing, participation, and meaningful engagement. 

The event carried an unmistakable sense of urgency. Youth leaders from over 180 countries shared insights through foresight exercises coordinated by the UN Youth Office, identifying the structural barriers that still silence young voices: exclusion from decision-making, limited access to education and decent work, and shrinking civic space. Civil society organizations echoed these concerns, emphasizing that progress requires not only policy reform but also trust, accountability, and collaboration between governments and communities. 

The Euro-Mediterranean Dimension 

As emphasized in the World Programme of Action for Youth, effective implementation in the regional context relies on the joint commitment of governments, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society. This is equally relevant for the Euro-Mediterranean region, which stands out as both a crossroads and a mirror of the WPAY vision. It is a region of immense diversity and creativity, where history, conflict, and innovation coexist. It also exemplifies the contrasts that define today’s youth experience: opportunity and inequality, mobility and exclusion, resilience and reform. Bridging Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, the region underscores the importance of regional cooperation and youth participation in translating the WPAY from a global declaration into concrete regional action through dialogue, partnership, and shared responsibility 

During the High-Level Meeting, the voices of youth and leaders from across the region captured this mosaic of realities. Estonia’s Youth Delegate, Evaliis Läll, underlined that education remains “the cornerstone of every young person’s future” and called for universal digital access as a condition for equality. From Ukraine, Youth Delegate Vitalina Shevchenko reminded the world that none of the Programme’s priorities can be achieved without peace, stressing that every aspect of youth development collapses in the face of conflict and instability. 

From the southern Mediterranean, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour of the Syrian Arab Republic, Hind Kabawat, shared a message of resilience and recovery, describing how “young people across Syria, despite hardship, continue to gain skills and knowledge to one day rebuild their nation.” She emphasized that youth are “not only beneficiaries of policy, but innovators, leaders, and builders of the future,” calling for investment in education, vocational training, and inclusion as the foundation for recovery and dignity. 

From North Africa, the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Algeria, Fayçal Bentaleb, delivered a message grounded in both commitment and urgency. He reaffirmed Algeria’s dedication to investing in youth as “a smart and sustainable resource to guarantee international peace and security,” emphasizing that handing over “the reins of initiative” to young people is the most effective path toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He outlined the government’s ongoing efforts to design a National Youth Programme for 2025, anchored in education, healthcare, and sports infrastructure, with the aim of improving living conditions and strengthening youth participation in governance and economic life. He also highlighted the establishment of the Supreme Council for Youth as a “real example of the role of youth as an engine for renewal and progress.” In closing, he called for equal opportunities for young people everywhere to express their views, regardless of national circumstances, and reminded participants that solidarity with those living amid conflict remains an ethical and human imperative. 

Adding another perspective from the region, Lebanon’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Nora Bayrakdarian, reaffirmed her country’s “renewed commitment to supporting policies and programmes that strengthen young people’s capacities and provide them with a safe and stimulating environment to express their views and contribute to decision-making.” Her statement celebrated the resilience and creativity of Lebanese youth who “continue to innovate, engage in entrepreneurship, and commit to building a fairer and more stable world,” while underscoring the urgent need to create genuine opportunities that allow young people to thrive at home rather than seek security and work abroad. 

In a gesture that embodied intergenerational dialogue, Tunisia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, passed the floor to a youth representative, demonstrating his country’s belief in youth as co-architects of the future. The young Tunisian delegate took the opportunity to assert that “our generation does not seek to be spoken for, but to speak with those who hold power, to co-create solutions that reflect the realities of our lives.” His words encapsulated the spirit of this anniversary, reminding the Assembly that youth participation is not symbolic, but essential to building shared and sustainable futures. 

From the northern shore of the Mediterranean, Greece’s Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs, Domna-Maria Aristeidi Michailidou, offered an evidence-based reflection on youth policy transformation. She highlighted how Greece reduced youth unemployment from 44 percent in 2020 to 24 percent in 2024, with more than 200,000 young people gaining vocational experience through modernized training programmes that connect education with the labour market. Her call to move “from policies about young people to policies with young people” encapsulated the broader message of the day: that progress happens when participation is not symbolic, but structural. 

Equally symbolic was Denmark’s intervention, where the State Secretary for Development Policy, Elsebeth Søndergaard Krone, gave the floor to a youth representative, translating the very essence of intergenerational collaboration into action. The young delegate who followed spoke for a generation “that has only known a world where war and conflict are a daily reality,” yet continues to build peace from the ground up. She reminded the Assembly that youth “are not only shaped by conflict but key to building what comes after,” calling on governments to ensure that young people are treated “not as victims or troublemakers, but as partners in shaping peace.” 

Together, these voices from across the Euro-Mediterranean region reaffirmed the enduring relevance of the World Programme of Action for Youth and its call for strengthened cooperation and partnership among governments, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society, as well as the shared responsibility to advance progress across its fifteen priority areas, from education, employment, and health to participation, equality, and peace. 

Civil Society and the Road Ahead 

Civil society organizations and youth networks have long been the connective tissue between policy and practice. Across the Euro-Mediterranean region, they translate commitments into community action, open dialogue between generations, and create spaces where young people can lead. Their advocacy has ensured that youth are seen not as a demographic to be managed but as partners in co-creating solutions for social cohesion, sustainability, and peace. 

As the region prepares for the forthcoming political endorsement of the Pact for the Mediterranean, this spirit of collaboration takes on renewed significance. The Pact seeks to align regional action with global commitments while rooting them in the lived realities of Mediterranean societies. Building on the shared vision of One Sea, One Pact, One Future, it reinforces the idea that progress in the region depends on co-ownership, co-creation, and shared responsibility among governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector. By placing people, and particularly youth, at its core, it calls for greater investment in education, mobility, culture, and innovation as levers for connection and resilience.  

For civil society, the Pact offers both a platform and a challenge: to ensure that these aspirations translate into tangible outcomes, to champion inclusion and transparency in its implementation, and to keep young people at the heart of a regional agenda that bridges peace, prosperity, and sustainability. 

Ultimately, its success will depend on the active participation of young people themselves, whose vision and leadership will determine whether this new regional momentum becomes a lived reality. 

Youth in the Euro-Mediterranean Context 

For young people across the Euro-Mediterranean, the renewed focus on the World Programme of Action for Youth offers both opportunity and responsibility. It provides a shared foundation to advocate for stronger inclusion in governance, equitable access to education and employment, and the right to contribute to building peaceful and cohesive societies. The region’s youth can benefit from emerging cross-border initiatives in green and digital transitions, intercultural dialogue, and social innovation that are increasingly prioritized within Euro-Med cooperation frameworks. At the same time, they can play a defining role in shaping this new phase by engaging in civil-society networks, contributing to national youth strategies, and amplifying their collective voice through regional partnerships. As the forthcoming political endorsement of the Pact for the Mediterranean takes shape, youth participation will be essential to ensure that this regional roadmap reflects their lived realities and aspirations, translating policy commitments into tangible outcomes for communities on both shores. Institutions such as the Anna Lindh Foundation continue to serve as vital enablers of these interactions, fostering dialogue and mutual understanding while promoting equality, respect for diversity, solidarity, and empathy. Guided by principles of accountability and transparency, the Foundation and its networks strengthen cross-border cooperation and support young people in building inclusive societies grounded in shared values and mutual respect. 

Conclusion: From Commemoration to Continuity 

The 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth was not only a celebration of past progress but a call for renewal. From New York to the Mediterranean, the message was clear: youth must not only be heard, they must be trusted with leadership. The words of the UN Secretary General resonate as both reflection and challenge:  

“By relying on their ideas, energy, and leadership, a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world is within reach.” 

For the Euro-Mediterranean region, this vision is already taking shape in classrooms and cooperatives, in youth councils and local initiatives, in art, innovation, and civic action. It lives in the resilience of young people who continue to rebuild, reimagine, and reconnect their societies. As new regional frameworks such as the Pact for the Mediterranean emerge, the enduring spirit of the World Programme of Action for Youth offers both direction and inspiration. Thirty years on, the work remains unfinished, and the future, once again, begins with them.