The United Nations Youth Office and the ‘Big Six’ Youth Organizations have announced a new strategic partnership to accelerate youth leadership and action toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The partnership, built on a shared commitment to invest in and further the Global Youth Mobilization, will be publicly launched during the High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Big Six – World YWCA, World YMCA, World Scouting, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) – collectively reach over 250 million young people across more than 190 countries. Through their joint initiative, the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM), they equip young people with funds and training to deliver youth-led solutions to global challenges.
The newly established UN Youth Office, led by Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Dr. Felipe Paullier, is committed to strengthening youth engagement across the UN system and beyond. This partnership sets the stage for a greater connection between young people and global decision-making, building on the UN Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda and the Pact for the Future, which call for inclusive multilateralism, as well as dialogue and solidarity across generations.
“This partnership reflects our shared belief that meaningful progress on today’s global challenges can only be achieved with young people at the center. Through the Global Youth Mobilization, we are not just investing in youth-led initiatives—we are investing in the future of our societies,” said Dr. Paullier. “The UN Youth Office is proud to join forces with the Big Six to expand opportunities for young people to lead, to shape solutions, and to have their voices heard at the heart of global decision-making.”
The partnership will involve a shared action plan, which will focus on:
- Collaboration. The UN Youth Office will become the main (but not exclusive) UN partner for Global Youth Mobilization.
- Advocacy. We'll speak up together for youth priorities and rights in UN spaces and global forums and share each other’s campaigns.
- Resource mobilisation. We'll work together to channel more resources through the GYM in support of youth-led projects around the world.
- Representation. We’ll make sure young people’s voices will be heard in global decision-making spaces, and that the UN Youth Office is a key part of conversations about scaling up and elevating the Global Youth Mobilization.
“Young people have demonstrated, repeatedly and convincingly, that when they are given trust, space, and resources, they deliver transformative change,” said Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General of the World YMCA and Chair of the Global Youth Mobilisation board. “We remain deeply committed to advancing their agency, and we welcome this bold partnership with the UN Youth Office, which elevates their voices and their impact to the highest levels of decision-making.”
Michelle Chew, a Youth Board Representative, said: "We are excited about this partnership to amplify advocacy for youth-led decision-making processes, mobilize greater resources for grassroots solutions, and ensure that young people can represent ourselves on the issues we care most about in key global spaces."
This strategic alliance sets a new precedent for youth engagement in global decision-making and reaffirms the commitment of all parties to co-create a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.
The new strategic alliance builds on an established partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate for International Partnerships, through the Youth Empowerment Fund, which is currently powering the Global Youth Mobilization. The Global Youth Mobilization was first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, with generous support from the World Health Organization and UN Foundation.