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FAO Liaison Office in Geneva

Youth Engagement

World Food Forum

Youth engagement is a core principle of FAO, with a particular focus on mainstreaming youth in FAO’s programmatic work areas, FAO’s projects and activities, such as striving towards achieving food security and agrifood systems or development of plans towards including youth in decision-making processes and procedures. In its Strategic Framework 2022–2031, youth is one of three cross-cutting themes FAO has identified, along with gender and inclusion, to promote their more systematic mainstreaming and operationalization across all of FAO’s work.

FAO recognizes that Youth are already at the frontline of building more sustainable agrifood systems and are well placed to rejuvenate the sector, acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to innovate, adopting new technologies, and spearheading digital transformation. This is further supported by FAO’s Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems report, which highlights both the central role of young people in agrifood systems and the need to expand opportunities, reduce barriers, and strengthen enabling conditions for meaningful youth participation.

FAO firmly believes in the systematic engagement of the world’s youth and recognizes their immense potential in transforming global agrifood systems and helping accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The FAO Youth Committee, launched in 2019 to increase youth engagement and foster their innovative spark, has been actively networking among young and youthful FAO staff and reaching out to major youth groups from around the world with the launch of the World Food Forum. The WFF serves as a groundbreaking platform, aiming to become the foremost global hub for youth engagement in agrifood systems.  

Additionally, the Rural Youth Action Plan (RYAP) is FAO’s five-year Action Plan with the goal of contributing to the realization of the SDGs by equally empowering rural young women and men. Overall, FAO supports countries in developing more youth-inclusive policies, strategies, investments, and programs to enhance the overall well-being of young women and men.

The recent establishment of the FAO Office of Youth and Women is another important initiative aimed at strengthening FAO’s capacity to better serve its Members by advocating for youth and women. It ensures that youth and women act as internal and external conduits, supporting women and youth career enrichment by gathering innovative ideas and approaches from youth and women within the FAO mandate.  

As a hub for many international organizations, academic institutions, start-ups, and innovation labs, Switzerland offers vast amounts of opportunities to boost youth empowerment and engagement toward achieving food security.

The FAO Liaison Office in Geneva (LOG) is championing, strengthening, and facilitating youth-centered initiatives and partnerships in Switzerland focused on youth action, empowerment, and implementation, with the aim of amplifying the World Food Forum (WFF) mission to “empower youth for a better food future.”

The LOG is driving youth action through strategic partnerships and collaborations across International Geneva, including UN specialized agencies and other international organizations, as well as with academic institutions and local youth networks. In doing so, LOG champions and amplifies FAO initiatives that advance youth action in agrifood systems, including the WFF Flagship Event and WFF Thematic Programmes, which mobilize and inspire young people to take action in Switzerland and beyond.

Youth engagement activities in Geneva

Championing youth engagement comes in many different shapes and forms, but it is aimed at empowering youth to take action and to make an impact on a larger magnitude towards achieving food security. FAO LOG promotes FAO works and initiatives, such as the WFF Thematic Programmes or the Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems Report, all stemming substantial ways to implement youth action into technical programmes. Furthermore, LOG works centered around youth engagement is focused on raising awareness and boosting opportunities for youths to have a platform to showcase the pivotal role youth have in achieving sustainable agrifood systems, ending world hunger, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Here are some of the recent Youth Engagement activities of FAO in Geneva:

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