Youth take centre stage at UNGA80

For the first time, youth was included as a dedicated item on the high-level agenda, underscoring political commitment to invest in young people as key drivers of change in the years following the Summit of the Future.

Adopted in 1995, the WPAY provides a global framework to improve youth well-being in priority areas such as employment, education, participation, and globalization. The WPAY+30 review reflects on progress while emphasizing the urgent need to scale youth empowerment, strengthen participation, and build inclusive, sustainable systems that recognize young people as active partners in shaping the future.

To mark this milestone, the #YouthLead Festival convened young leaders and allies from around the world for a week of events and intergenerational dialogues. Anchored around UNGA80 and WPAY+30, the festival created momentum for youth engagement and collective action within and beyond the UN system.

As part of the festival, the International Trade Centre (ITC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) co-hosted the #YouthLeadership Dialogue with the Major Group for Children and Youth. The event gave young leaders a unique opportunity to engage directly with senior UN officials, including ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton, and WIPO Assistant Secretary General Edward K. Kwakwa.

During UNGA80, Pamela Coke-Hamilton also met with Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, to strengthen collaboration between the UN Youth Office and ITC. The meeting reaffirmed a shared commitment to advancing youth entrepreneurship globally, with a focus on leveraging ITC's Ye! Community, a platform connecting more than 50,000 young entrepreneurs.

Since WPAY's adoption, ITC has scaled up its work on youth economic empowerment through flagship initiatives such as the Youth and Trade Programme, the Ye! Community, and the Youth Ecopreneur Programme. These efforts align with WPAY priorities by equipping young people with the skills, networks and opportunities needed to succeed in the global economy. Youth is a core focus of ITC's Strategic Plan (2022-2025), alongside gender, green, and digital, and will remain central in its next cycle.

Through these initiatives, ITC has learned that youth strategies must be holistic - combining entrepreneurship support with skills development, mentorship, market access, and policy advocacy. Young people must be recognized not only as beneficiaries but also as co-creators of solutions, shaping inclusive and sustainable trade ecosystems that foster innovation and economic transformation.

UNGA80 and the WPAY+30 review mark a turning point: youth are no longer on the sidelines of global policy - they are leading the way.