Young leaders trained to advance the right to food worldwide
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©FAO
22/09/2025
FAO’s Right to Food Team, in collaboration with the Office of Youth and Women, hosted an online capacity development session that brought together around 30 dynamic participants from across the globe. Young leaders from the FAO Youth Policy Board, Young Scientists Group, and the Agrifood Leadership Education Programme joined the training, which focused on strengthening the ability of youth to advocate for and claim their right to food.
The goal was clear: to provide tools that allow young people to influence processes and policies, and to ensure the right to food is embedded in decision-making spaces. By enhancing their knowledge and capacity, participants can act as multipliers, when driving forward both the Global Youth Action Plan and the Youth Declaration on Food Systems Transformation.
“Youth are rights-holders and play a vital role in transforming agrifood systems,” said Juan Echanove, Team Leader of the Right to Food team at FAO, emphasizing the role of youth as active agents of change rather than passive observers.
The training featured interactive discussions and group work, where participants applied a rights-based lens to concrete scenarios. They assessed the role of youth in agrifood systems, explored key statistics, discussed the right to adequate food, and examined the responsibilities of duty-bearers. Working in groups, they crafted strategies for different contexts and presented their solutions to the wider group.
“Let’s not forget that youth should not just be at the table, but should be able to meaningfully participate and claim their rights,” noted Eloisa Caixeta Cunha from the Right to Food team, highlighting the importance of youth engagement in shaping food systems transformation.
The event reflected the spirit of the FAO Youth Policy Board, a global platform of 24 diverse members who coordinate regional efforts and ensure that youth voices are represented in major policy dialogues.
The training reaffirmed that when young people come together, their energy and commitment can transform abstract rights into concrete actions, turning ideas into forward-looking strategies for food systems that uphold the right to food for all.
FAO continues to support capacity development initiatives that strengthen youth-led advocacy on the right to food. Because, as the session underscored, rights are renewed every time a new generation makes them their own.
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The Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems
The goal was clear: to provide tools that allow young people to influence processes and policies, and to ensure the right to food is embedded in decision-making spaces. By enhancing their knowledge and capacity, participants can act as multipliers, when driving forward both the Global Youth Action Plan and the Youth Declaration on Food Systems Transformation.
“Youth are rights-holders and play a vital role in transforming agrifood systems,” said Juan Echanove, Team Leader of the Right to Food team at FAO, emphasizing the role of youth as active agents of change rather than passive observers.
The training featured interactive discussions and group work, where participants applied a rights-based lens to concrete scenarios. They assessed the role of youth in agrifood systems, explored key statistics, discussed the right to adequate food, and examined the responsibilities of duty-bearers. Working in groups, they crafted strategies for different contexts and presented their solutions to the wider group.
“Let’s not forget that youth should not just be at the table, but should be able to meaningfully participate and claim their rights,” noted Eloisa Caixeta Cunha from the Right to Food team, highlighting the importance of youth engagement in shaping food systems transformation.
The event reflected the spirit of the FAO Youth Policy Board, a global platform of 24 diverse members who coordinate regional efforts and ensure that youth voices are represented in major policy dialogues.
The training reaffirmed that when young people come together, their energy and commitment can transform abstract rights into concrete actions, turning ideas into forward-looking strategies for food systems that uphold the right to food for all.
FAO continues to support capacity development initiatives that strengthen youth-led advocacy on the right to food. Because, as the session underscored, rights are renewed every time a new generation makes them their own.