Set up by United Nations in 1999, International Youth Day (IYD) is celebrated on 12th August across the world.
What is International Youth Day (IYD)?
Each year, the celebration is given a theme which is a focus point of the day. This theme encourages young people globally to organise and get involved in activities to raise awareness about youth and the chosen theme.
Consulting Young People
During the 2021 ECOSOC Youth Forum (EYF), there were a few main issues raised by young participants related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focussing on the effects on:
- Human health
- The environment
- Food systems
Young participants stressed the importance of working towards more equitable food systems for human health and the environment. They also highlighted the need to be able to make informed decisions on food choices through better education about healthy and sustainable choices.
2021 Theme
The theme for International Youth Day 2021 is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”. This them aims to highlight the global successes of young people who have started to create a much-needed change.
Why is this theme so important?
Additionally, nutrition-related chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are major contributors to global diseases.
Additionally, the global population is expected to increase by 2 billion people in the next 30 years! With this increase of more people and people living longer, it’s been noted that we need a sustainable way forward, focussing on the wellbeing of the planet and healthy lifestyles.
As part of this, there are many other considerations such as poverty reduction, health care, conservation, biodiversity, and social inclusion.
Related Information
Read more about IYD 2021 here.
