Youth diplomacy
Youth diplomacy refers to the active participation of young people in international relations, as well as the strategic efforts of states and organisations to engage them in foreign policy.
It operates in two main ways: first, as a state-led activity to influence young foreign audiences through public diplomacy, such as cultural exchanges and educational programmes.
Second, it describes the actions of young people themselves, activists, delegates, and civil society groups, who directly engage with global issues such as climate change, human rights, and peacebuilding.
This type of diplomacy recognises young people not just as future leaders but as current actors with unique perspectives and significant influence, particularly in the digital space. It aims to build long-term relationships, promote mutual understanding, and ensure that youth voices are formally included in global decision-making processes.
It seeks to address issues that disproportionately affect younger generations and harnesses their capacity for innovation. This approach moves beyond superficial inclusion, treating youth as essential partners in solving global challenges.
Relevance
The significance of youth diplomacy stems directly from global demographics. Many nations, particularly in the Global South, have a “youth bulge”, a large proportion of their population under the age of 30. This demographic reality makes young people a critical constituency for stability, economic development, and social change. Governments and international bodies recognise that they cannot solve long-term global challenges, such as climate change or sustainable development, without the commitment and participation of the generations who will live with the consequences. Politically, engaging youth builds trust in public institutions and can counter radicalisation by providing constructive pathways for participation. Conversely, ignoring youth demands can lead to instability and protest.
Economically, youth are drivers of innovation. Diplomatic efforts that include youth entrepreneurship and education can create new markets and strengthen economic ties. Philosophically, this diplomacy challenges traditional, state-centric models of international relations. It argues for a more inclusive approach where non-state actors, especially those representing future interests, have a legitimate role in shaping policy.
Young people are often the first to adopt and master new communication technologies, making them powerful agents in digital public diplomacy. Their ability to mobilise quickly across borders online gives their voices a reach and immediacy that traditional diplomacy often lacks. This digital fluency makes them central to narrative battles and the exercise of soft power.
Strategically, nations that successfully engage global youth can build lasting alliances and a positive international image. Failing to do so creates a vacuum that non-state actors or rival powers can fill. Thus, youth diplomacy is not merely a gesture of goodwill; it is a strategic necessity for effective twenty-first-century statecraft.
Methods and approaches
Youth diplomacy contain a diverse range of formal and informal strategies aimed at engaging young people in global policymaking. Formal mechanisms predominantly arise from state-sponsored initiatives. Notable examples include government-funded educational and cultural exchange programs such as the U.S. Fulbright Program and the EU’s Erasmus+, both of which promote mutual understanding and aid extensive alumni networks. Additionally, the inclusion of youth delegates in official delegations to multilateral forums, such as the United Nations General Assembly, allows these representatives to contribute insights on resolutions and participate in negotiations focused on youth-specific issues.
Multilateral platforms frequently create dedicated spaces for youth engagement. Prominent summits like the G20, APEC, and the African Union typically incorporate parallel “Youth Summits” (for instance, Y20 and APEC Voices of the Future), which produce policy recommendations or communiqués that are presented to world leaders, thus influencing high-level discussions.
On the informal front, youth-led non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society advocates play vital roles in direct lobbying and advocacy efforts. They generate empirical research, engage with policymakers, and orchestrate grassroots campaigns aimed at achieving specific policy outcomes. In the digital sphere, young leaders leverage social media platforms for large-scale mobilization, crowdfunding initiatives, and strategic challenges to official narratives, enabling more rapid placement of relevant issues on the international agenda compared to traditional diplomatic channels. Furthermore, mentorship programs connecting seasoned diplomats with emerging young leaders serve as essential tools for capacity building and network development. Collectively, these strategies illustrate a convergence of established public diplomacy practices and innovative, youth-driven methodologies that states are increasingly adapting to effectively engage a new generation.
Geographical scope
Youth diplomacy operates across all levels of international relations, from local interactions to global forums. Bilaterally, it is a key component of public diplomacy between two nations. Countries manage scholarship programmes and cultural exchange centres to build positive relationships with the next generation of leaders in another state.
Regionally, organisations like the European Union, the African Union (AU), and ASEAN dedicate significant resources to youth engagement. The AU, for instance, has a Youth Envoy and specific programmes aimed at harnessing its youth demographic for continental development. These regional partnerships focus on shared challenges like education, employment, and mobility.
Multilaterally, the United Nations system is a central hub. The UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, the Youth Delegate Programme, and various UN agencies (like UNICEF and UNESCO) integrate youth perspectives into global policy on peace, security, and development.
Informal venues are also crucial. Global digital platforms, academic conferences, and international youth-led festivals provide spaces for young people to connect, collaborate, and organise across borders, often independent of state control.
Historical development
In the post-Second World War era, cultural and educational exchanges were established to promote reconciliation and prevent future conflicts. In 1946, the Fulbright Program was established with the goal of encouraging better understanding between people in the United States and those from other countries. During the Cold War, both the West and the Soviet bloc used youth diplomacy as a soft power tool. The Soviet Union, for instance, sponsored the World Festival of Youth and Students to promote communist ideals and build solidarity among left-leaning youth movements globally.
A more structured and rights-based approach began to take shape in the 1990s. The United Nations’ adoption of the World Programme of Action for Youth in 1995 marked a significant turning point, formally recognising young people as a distinct group in global policy. This provided a framework for governments to develop national youth policies and for youth to demand inclusion. The real acceleration, however, came with two developments. First, the rise of the internet and social media gave young people unprecedented tools to organise and communicate internationally. Second, the appointments of the first UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in 2013 and later the AU Youth Envoy institutionalised high-level youth advocacy within the world’s most important multilateral bodies. The “Youth, Peace and Security” agenda, solidified by UN Security Council Resolution 2250 in 2015, further cemented the role of youth as partners in international peace efforts, not just subjects of policy.
Actors
The main actors in youth diplomacy are diverse. National governments are primary actors, typically through their ministries of foreign affairs, education, and culture. They fund exchange programmes, appoint youth delegates, and design public diplomacy campaigns targeting foreign youth.
International organisations provide the formal infrastructure. The United Nations, through the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and agencies like UNESCO, sets global norms and provides platforms for participation. Regional bodies like the African Union and the European Union also run their own youth-focused diplomatic initiatives.
Non-state actors are highly influential. Youth-led and youth-serving NGOs, such as the European Youth Forum or the World Organization of the Scout Movement, advocate for youth rights and coordinate action.
Individual actors have become powerful forces. High-profile youth activists, like Malala Yousafzai or Greta Thunberg, can command global media attention and directly influence world leaders.
Finally, the expert community, academics, foundations, and think tanks helps to shape the field by providing research, funding, and policy recommendations.
Examples
The UN Youth Delegate Programme
This is a formal mechanism for youth participation at the United Nations. Under this programme, member states can choose to include young people in their official delegations to UN meetings, most notably the General Assembly. These delegates are selected by their national governments, often in consultation with youth councils or organisations. Once at the UN, they participate in committee meetings, contribute to negotiations on resolutions (especially those concerning youth), and deliver a formal statement in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). The programme serves a dual purpose: it injects youth perspectives directly into the formal diplomatic process, and it trains a new generation of leaders in multilateral affairs. While their influence varies by country, youth delegates often bring attention to issues like youth unemployment, digital rights, and mental health.
This example represents informal, grassroots youth diplomacy. Started by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in 2018, the movement involves school strikes to demand urgent action on climate change from policymakers. This activist-led initiative operates entirely outside state control and uses social media and mass protests to exert pressure. Thunberg herself exemplifies this new form of diplomacy; she has addressed the UN Climate Action Summit, the World Economic Forum in Davos, and national parliaments. The movement successfully placed the climate crisis at the top of the global agenda, forcing governments and corporations to respond to youth demands. It demonstrates how a single young person, empowered by a clear message and digital tools, can mobilise millions globally and directly challenge world leaders.
Erasmus+ (and its predecessor, the Erasmus Programme) is a flagship initiative of the European Union, representing regional-level youth diplomacy. Primarily an educational exchange programme, it provides funding for students, trainees, and staff to study or work in another European country. While its main goal is educational and professional development, its diplomatic impact is substantial. By facilitating mobility and cross-cultural interaction for millions of young Europeans, the programme helps build a shared sense of European identity and mutual understanding. This “Erasmus generation” is often more integrationist and multilingual, creating a strong social foundation for the EU’s political project. It functions as a powerful soft power tool, promoting the “European model” of cooperation and mobility both within the continent and to partner countries worldwide.
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