International Youth Day: A Leading Role in Development, Navigating Challenges

Every year on Aug. 12, the world observes International Youth Day, an occasion celebrated by the international community to highlight youth issues and promote their active engagement across various fields.

According to the United Nations, the theme of the 2025 day focuses on local youth actions for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and beyond.

This topic sheds light on the role performed by local and regional governments in empowering youth to engage in the decision-making process locally, thereby opening real opportunities for them to actively contribute to the development process.

The celebration aims to pitch these available opportunities, and the challenges encountered across the globe, as the UN capitalizes on these kinds of events to promote culture and awareness with the objective of raising awareness about youth-associated issues and marshalling efforts to achieve a concrete breakthrough in these fields.

Having been adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1995, the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and beyond covers 15 domains that are of great priority for youth and includes proposals to operate in each one of these fields.

The program in question offers a framework for practical policies and principles to provide support at the state level and improve the situation of youth across the globe.

The UN hopes that this year’s event will spotlight the outstanding role played by youth in converting global ambitions into a vibrant societal reality, while development partners aspire to adapt these international goals and execute them within domestic contexts in alignment with the needs of a variety of communities, observing consistency with national and global commitments.

As more than 65 percent of the SDGs are directly associated with local governance, it is of paramount importance to engage youth in all communities.

In April 2025, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum convened at the UN Headquarters in New York, providing a platform for young people to engage with member states and other stakeholders in sharing views, as well as generating actions and recommendations to help make the world fairer, greener, and more sustainable, building on the 2030 SDGs.

The aforementioned forum cited ECOSOC’s topic on “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, leaving no one behind”.

The event discussed concrete actions and commitments for SDGs under review at the 2025 HLPF, enabling youth leaders worldwide to engage with governments, youth delegates, policymakers, and other stakeholders from civil society and the private sector, amplifying their voices and advancing their interests.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director of the Youth Affairs Department at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Fawaz Abdullah Al Misfari, affirmed that youth action matters most in building the Qatari community and fostering its engagement in national development.

The ministry believes in the fact that engaging youth in local projects and programs enhances their spirit to responsibly take on the mantle of leadership, in addition to exploring and advancing their talents, Al Misfari highlighted.

He added that the ministry is always keen to have integrated and holistic plans and strategies that include all youth from both genders, whether citizens or residents without exception, indicating that people with disabilities have special programs that offer an environment that incubates innovation and engagement.

The ministry organizes professional panel discussions and workshops on AI applications and digital transformation, which provide them with the opportunity to explore the state-of-the-art evolutions in these critical areas, as well as communal volunteering that bolsters the spirit of giving and responsibility, Al Misfari underlined.

These events largely help youth internalize a variety of practical expertise, particularly at youth centers, alongside the “We Are All Responsible” Initiative and so forth as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which substantially focuses on investing in human capital and building youth capabilities to secure an enduring and bright future, he outlined.

Al Misfari further stated that there are inspirational models of young people who took on the mantle of volunteering initiatives aimed at addressing environmental issues, such as recycling and natural resources conservation, while others participated in entrepreneurship and contributed to undergirding the national economy with emerging projects.

Youth engagement and decision-making have become a concrete reality through youth centers and commissions, along with their contributions in health and educational awareness-raising campaigns, as well as national identity enhancement programs, as many of them unlocked projects that backed education quality, women empowerment, and active engagement in supporting the green economy, Al Misfari pointed out.

In addition, Al Misfari emphasized that the Qatari youth are key partners in implementing the Qatar National Vision 2030, which largely aligns with the UN SDGs, as demonstrated in national and global initiatives where youth either implement or engage in them.

Notwithstanding these colossal milestones in the youth sector, Al Misfari noted some existential challenges that should be addressed, including upscaling awareness about the significance of engagement in modern development projects and spurring youth to pursue active participation, in addition to keeping up with the rapid technological evolution that requires augmenting advanced technological skills.

Finally, Al Misfari underlined that youth empowerment in the State of Qatar receives utmost priority within government policies, as reflected in appropriating adequate financial support and budgets to advance youth projects and programs.

Al Misfari added that the nation works to strengthen youth infrastructure at youth centers and institutions, as well as the provision of support for training and innovation, stating that prioritization of youth in Qatar is the highest at the regional level.

He asserted that the ministry aspires to further partnerships and resources to ensure the sustainability of youth empowerment and achieving their ambitions.

Related Story

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}