International Youth Day (IYD) 2025 holds special significance as it commemorates 10 years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was launched in 2015. This agenda, which includes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is a part of the UN’s global call for coordinated action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
This year’s global theme is:
“Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”
It provides an opportunity for the Commonwealth Secretariat to showcase its long-standing commitment to youth-led initiatives on the SDGs and over 50 years of empowering, energising and amplifying young people through the Commonwealth Youth Programme. It also serves as a platform for the Commonwealth to nurture and reinforce partnerships that support young, ambitious entrepreneurs of the future.
Events
A series of events will be hosted to mark this important milestone, spanning 4-14 August, and will include:
August schedule
4–8 August
The inaugural Youth Leadership Consultative Dialogue, led by the Commonwealth Youth Council and hosted by the Government of Namibia
12 August
A digital broadcast featuring the launch of the call for nominations for the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards
12 August
The official UN observance of IYD in Nairobi, Kenya, hosted in collaboration with UN-Habitat and UN DESA
22 August
The London Youth Art Health Summit
An event, led by the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship founded by Kunle Adewale – a 2016 Commonwealth Youth Award Regional Winner for Africa, aimed at supporting youth leadership, innovation and health equity through the arts.
