The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum will take place from 25 to 27 April 2023 in a hybrid format. The Youth Cafe alongside other Youth leaders around the world will have the opportunity to engage with government representatives, youth delegates, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders in civil society and the private sector. Side events will take place virtually and in-person from 25 to 27 April 2023.

The theme of International Youth Day 2019, “Transforming education”, highlights efforts to make education more relevant, equitable and inclusive for all youth, including efforts by youth themselves. Rooted in Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” –  International Youth Day 2019 will examine how Governments, young people and youth-led and youth-focused organizations, as well as other stakeholders, are transforming education and how these efforts are contributing to the achievement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Statistics remind us that significant transformations are still required to make education systems more inclusive and accessible: (1) Only 10% of people have completed upper secondary education in low income countries; (2) 40 % of the global population is not taught in a language they speak or fully understand; and (3) over 75 % of secondary school age refugees are out of school. In addition, indigenous youth, young people with disabilities, young women, young people belonging to vulnerable groups or in vulnerable situations, etc. are facing additional challenges to access education that respects their diverse needs and abilities as well as reflects and embraces their unique realities and identities.

Making education more relevant, equitable and inclusive is crucial to achieving sustainable development. Education is a ‘development multiplier’ in that it plays a pivotal role in accelerating progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, be it poverty eradication, good health, gender equality, decent work and growth, reduced inequalities, action on climate or building peaceful societies. Education should lead to effective learning outcomes, with the content of school curricula and pedagogy being fit for purpose, not only for the 4th industrial revolution and the future of work and life, but also for the opportunities and challenges that rapidly changing social contexts bring.

Today, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 per cent of the global population. The active engagement of youth in sustainable development efforts is central to achieving sustainable, inclusive and stable societies by the target date, and to averting the worst threats and challenges to sustainable development, including the impacts of climate change, unemployment, poverty, gender inequality, conflict, and migration. However, young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality of jobs, greater labor market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. In addition, women are more likely to be underemployed and under-paid, and to undertake part-time jobs or work under temporary contracts.

Traditionally organized by the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka, together with UNESCO, ILO and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, this year the UN’s observance of the WYSD will shed light on the mechanisms needed to operationalize lifelong learning.

The Youth Cafe and its members has hosted a range of events and taken part in the photo competition and story series to celebrate World Youth Skills Day.

Organised by the European Commission, the European Development Days (EDD) bring the development community together each year to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. The EDD is a participatory programme.EDD 2019's overarching title is "Addressing inequalities: building a world which leaves no one behind".

Under the tagline “Rights and Voices of Youth”, The Youth Cafe has been invited to this year’s annual Decent Jobs for Youth conference invites a reflection on the transformative power of collective action in advancing a youth employment agenda that is rights-based, inclusive, and results-oriented. For all young people, especially those facing discrimination and disadvantage, human rights – which include labour rights – provide a base from which they can make their voices heard, assert their interests and find work that is productive and decent. We fully  tap into the potential of Decent Jobs for Youth's multi-stakeholder alliance, offering an event catered to knowledge exchange that features young global leaders at its heart. 

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat will launch the “1 million by 2021 Initiative”, which targets direct investments in millions of African youth on four key elements of Employment, Entrepreneurship, Education and Engagement, through leveraging partnerships and private sector opportunities. The initiative will be launched through a Pan African Youth Forum themed “Africa Unite for Youth: Bridging the Gap and Reaching African Youth”.

The YouthConnekt programme is a multifaceted youth empowerment model focused on leveraging youth employability, entrepreneurship and civic engagement through innovation.

Following the July 2017 YCA Summit that recommended to create the YouthConnekt Hub and Fund. This year’s Summit (YCA 2019) will mark the official launch of the YouthConnekt Africa Hub that will serve as a coordination entity that connects and promotes existing youth empowerment initiatives at the continent and ensure implementation of best practices for the youth socio-economic transformation.