International Youth Day (IYD) is an awareness day designated by the United Nations that takes place on August 12.
The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first IYD was observed on 12 August 2000.
International Youth Day is observed annually on August 12. It is mean as an opportunity for governments and others to draw attention to youth issues worldwide. This day adopted during the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, a resolution to proclaim August 12 as International Youth Day at its first session in Lisbon, Portugal, from 8 to 12 August 1998. The recommendation was later endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 17, 1999, with the adoption of Resolution.
Each year, International Youth Day adopts a theme to raise awareness of issues affecting young people and their role in global development:
2014: Youth and Mental Health
2015: Youth and Civic Engagement
2016: The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production
2017: Youth Building Peace
2018: Safe Spaces for Youth
2019: Transforming Education
2020: Youth Engagement for Global Action
2021: Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health
2022: Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages
2023: Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World
2024: From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development
The theme for International Youth Day 2025 is “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”. This theme emphasizes the crucial role young people play in translating global development goals into local realities and fostering community-led solutions.
Did you know?
Half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, and this is expected to reach 57% by the end of 2030.
Survey shows that 67% of people believe in a better future, with 15 to 17 year-olds being the most optimistic about this.
By 2050, the people who are under 25 today will compose more than 90% of the prime-age workforce.
13% of the young labour force is unemployed. This number from 2023 marks the lowest rate in 15 years.
Among children ages 10-19, 1 in 7 experience a mental disorder. Nearly 6 in 10 ten-year-old children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and comprehend a simple paragraph.
