The International Youth Conference (IYC) is a direct result of a call to action for youth attending the 68th UN Civil Society Conference (UNCSC), held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, from 26 to 28 August 2019. The Salt Lake City Conference featured a strong youth participation: of the 5000 participants attending the UNCSC, about a third of that number were youth.

Following the 2019 UNCSC, some youth convened to launch the IYC with the support of the Civil Society Unit, Department of Global Communications, UN-Habitat, and IAAI, an NGO formally associated with the department. The Civil Society Unit’s support to IYC is rooted in our commitment to engage with stakeholders, especially young people, to achieve better the UN’s global efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Over the years, the IYC has been held in various formats, initially with virtual sessions and later with hybrid and in-person sessions. Interactive discussions, social media moments, project showcases, mentoring, and regional sessions have been the cornerstones of IYC in addition to strong social media engagement to deepen the reach and engagement of youth globally.

Speakers at IYC are carefully selected and invited keeping in mind the diversity, academic and professional background, inter generational factors, experience and expertise on topics and regional balance. Speakers participate both virtually and in-person, as IYC is strictly not for profit platform therefore we do not pay for travel and/or accommodation.

You can nominate yourself or someone else.