Multilateral Developments in Youth Policy

In January 2025, IJAB established the Observatory for Multilateral Youth Policy Developments to monitor and analyze youth policy trends at the multilateral level.

Within the framework of international and multilateral cooperation - particularly within the United Nations (UN) and the G7 and G20 formats -young people are receiving growing recognition. They are actively demanding opportunities to participate and shape policy, utilizing both established structures, such as the UN Youth Delegate programs, and less formalized civil society initiatives. With the founding of the UN Youth Office in 2022 and the evolution of G7 youth participation processes since 2021/2022, youth policy developments and networking efforts in multilateral contexts have intensified significantly, evolving dynamically across various policy sectors.

To monitor and analyze these shifts, the Observatory began its operations in early 2025. In coordination with the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ), it is currently conducting a systematic mapping of youth policy developments and participation opportunities in selected multilateral contexts. This comprehensive assessment is scheduled for completion within the current year, 2026.

Currently, joint formats are being developed by the Observatory and the BMBFSFJ to make the Observatory’s work and analytical findings available to IJAB members and the wider professional community.