Youth Office Opportunities

Building A More Inclusive And Connected Future With Young People

Young people are driving change around the world — from climate action and peacebuilding to technology, education, human rights and entrepreneurship. At the same time, many young people still face barriers to participating in decisions and processes that shape their lives and futures.

The first-ever UN Youth Townhall will bring over 1,000 participants together in Heidelberg, Germany, to build intergenerational trust, strengthen connections and create new opportunities for collaboration.

Convened by the United Nations Youth Office together with partners, the Townhall will bring young people, governments, the United Nations, civil society, the private sector and others into one space. At its core, the Townhall seeks to:

• Strengthen inclusion and diversity — broadening participation in global youth engagement by reaching young people and communities too often excluded from international spaces and processes.

• Reduce fragmentation across the ecosystem — creating stronger connections and collaboration between the many actors working across the global youth agenda.

• Shape a collective path forward — enabling stakeholders to transform dialogue into commitments, build partnerships, and agree on actionable measures to accelerate progress on youth priorities, their participation in decision-making and global cooperation.

Strengthen inclusion and diversity — broadening participation in global youth engagement by reaching young people and communities too often excluded from international spaces and processes.

Reduce fragmentation across the ecosystem — creating stronger connections and collaboration between the many actors working across the global youth agenda.

Shape a collective path forward — enabling stakeholders to transform dialogue into commitments, build partnerships, and agree on actionable measures to accelerate progress on youth priorities, their participation in decision-making and global cooperation.

A Global Platform For Youth Participation

The UN Youth Townhall responds to a growing need for more inclusive and meaningful ways for young people to participate in decision-making, building on the Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on Meaningful Youth Engagement, which underscored the importance of strengthening meaningful youth participation and called for the establishment of a standing United Nations Youth Townhall to bring greater diversity of youth voices into the work of the Organization.

The Townhall is anchored in the UN Youth Compass, the flagship initiative of the UN Youth Office to strengthen meaningful youth participation across the United Nations and beyond. It is envisioned not only as a one-time gathering, but as a recurring platform that supports collaboration, learning and partnerships over time — all with a view towards mainstreaming meaningful youth participation at all levels, and across all spheres of the UN’s work.

What To Expect

The Townhall will put intergenerational dialogue and co-creation at the centre of the convening.

Alongside larger sessions, the programme will feature fireside chats, roundtables, small-group discussions and other interactive formats designed to build intergenerational trust by fostering meaningful exchange between young people, decision-makers and participants from different generations and sectors.

Selected contributions from partners across the United Nations, civil society, academia, the private sector and other fields will help inform parts of the programme and bring a wider range of perspectives into the conversation.

It will also offer organizations and partners structured spaces to showcase their work, initiatives and opportunities, and connect directly with young people.

Who Will Take Part?

More than 1,000 participants are expected to join the Townhall, including young leaders and representatives of youth-led organizations and movements, public sector leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers, as well as representatives from governments, the United Nations, civil society, academia, philanthropy and the private sector.

The Townhall seeks broad geographic representation, gender balance and the inclusion of young people and communities that are often underrepresented in international policy and decision-making spaces.

How To Participate

Young people, organizations, institutions and partners from around the world are invited to join for the UN Youth Townhall in Heidelberg, Germany, taking place from 8 to 10 December 2026.

A limited number of funding opportunities are available for young people through an open call for applications.

Deadline: 7 September 2026, 11:59 ET

Application guidance is available here.

Partner With Us

Do you want to help us bring the Townhall to life and broaden its impact? We welcome organizations to partner with us and contribute through financial or in-kind support (including support in funding young people to participate in the event).

We also welcome partners to co-create parts of the programme, convene their own spaces and activities, and engage directly with young people in ways that amplify impact and support shared objectives. Get in touch to explore how we can work together.

Reach out to youthaffairs@un.org and make sure to include "Townhall" in the subject line!

This work is generously made possible through the generous support of partners including the European Union.