Marking a Decade of the SDGs, Young Voices Take the Lead in Shaping a Sustainable Future
New Delhi, August 12, 2025
International Youth Day (IYD) 2025 will take place globally on August 12 and the focal point this year will be the power of grassroots action! Young changemakers across the world are proving that global change can happen locally, from cities to villages; everyone can embrace the truth. Focusing on “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond,” the 2025 observance highlights how youth are reshaping the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to address the diverse realities and pressing needs of communities worldwide.
A Day Born Out of Youth Dreams : International Youth Day
International Youth Day was established in 1991 by delegates at the United Nations World Youth Forum in Vienna, who identified the need for a distinct day dedicated to youth empowerment. The year 1998 saw the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth declare August 12 as International Youth Day, following its growing acceptance around the world. It was shortly after that the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the day through Resolution 54/120 for the first time in the year 2000 to be celebrated globally.
Each year, IYD has some type of youth related theme, from “Youth Building Peace” in 2017, to “Transforming Education” in 2019, to last year “From Clicks to Progress,” and in 2025, the theme will be focused on how young people are localizing the SDGs as practical and actionable items in their own local communities.
2025: A Decade Into the Journey of the SDGs
This year marks 10 years since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is an ideal moment to reflect on achievements to date and reinvigorate the global commitment. Projects in the community that are led by youth (renewable energy, education reform or community entrepreneurship) are increasingly recognized as an important pathway to sustainable and inclusive development.
The examples speak for themselves; whether it is urban innovators utilizing technologies for affordable green housing to rural youth groups employing sustainable farming practices to combat climate change, or youth-led venture capital funds that back grassroots community entrepreneurs, social change ignited by youth is often embedded in the place-based needs of their locals – meaning the SDGs will not only be realized as abstract targets but a way of life.
Why International Youth Day Matters Now More Than Ever
International Youth Day is more than just a calendar date – it is a worldwide call to action for young people and a global space of opportunity that frames youth as partners in developing change rather than recipients of change.
Localizing global goals – In taking the declarative SDGs and creating local delivery plans, youth-led initiatives act as intermediaries to schooling the distance of global policy from people’s everyday lives.
Inspiring collective action – By uniting the efforts of governments, civil society and international agencies for investment in solutions defined by youth.
Young voices are amplified by giving them a forum to spearhead discussions, come up with ideas, and influence policy agenda changes.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, “youth are not the future; they are the now.”
Festivities Everywhere, Including India
International Youth Day will be marked by global conferences, cultural festivals, grassroots campaigns, and digital advocacy actions led by youth. Organizations of the United Nations system and partners have come together to host sessions in which youth representatives from different regions are invited to share and exchange local solutions for global, shared challenges.
In India, International Youth Day occurs with National Youth Day, celebrated on January 12. Universities, NGOs, and state governments will be hosting panel discussion on climate action, skill development, and digital inclusion. Community centres in rural areas will be hosting awareness workshops, while youth-led start-ups will be exhibiting innovations aimed at sustainable livelihoods.
The Way Ahead – Moving Beyond 2025
With less than five years before the 2030 SDG deadline, the passion and imagination of youth will be crucial to outcomes around the world. This year’s theme tells us a powerful truth – transformational change does not come exclusively from top-down policy directions; transformational change might start with one local act of change and ripple outwards to the entire world.
As we mark the end of this year’s International Youth Day, we are left not just with celebration but with renewed clarity on the way forward: invest in youth, hear their thoughts, and trust their leadership, because the pursuit of a sustainable future will be built day by day, in the hands and hearts of today’s youth.
