The Youth Assembly’s regional consultations and sessions are a structured and inclusive process designed to engage youth from different geographic regions in identifying, prioritizing and addressing challenges and opportunities in agrifood systems. These consultations and sessions align with the World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative (Youth Initiative)’s mission to empower youth as key stakeholders in agrifood systems transformation.

Regional consultations and sessions aim to:

• Address regional specificities by facilitating discussions tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities within Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North Africa, and North America.
• Amplify youth voices and ensure diverse regional youth perspectives are heard, particularly regarding sustainable development and agrifood systems transformation.
• Promote inclusivity by creating platforms for youth from various backgrounds - including Indigenous communities, young farmers, students and activists - to engage in regional policymaking processes.
• Inform national, regional and global policies with actionable recommendations that reflect youth priorities.

Key Achievements

Increased regional representation

Over 3 000 young people worldwide contributed to drafting regional policy priorities, showcasing the diversity and strength of youth engagement through regional Youth Assembly consultations and sessions. This effort bridges the gap between youth-led insights and global policy frameworks, ensuring inclusive and equitable representation.

Regional recommendations

Comprehensive policy compendiums were developed to address region-specific challenges and opportunities. They served as advocacy tools, summarizing key policy priorities and actionable recommendations derived from youth manifestos, consultations and surveys. Presented to key stakeholders, these recommendations fostered localized solutions while aligning with global sustainability goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Knowledge sharing

Understanding of policy frameworks, negotiation processes and innovative approaches to sustainable agrifood systems was enhanced through workshops, panel discussions and training sessions. Intergenerational dialogues and sessions enabled young leaders to share experiences and solutions, building a collective repository of expertise to drive agrifood systems transformation.

Policy co-creation

Annual cohorts of the Youth Policy Board (YPB) collaborated with stakeholders to draft impactful policy recommendations, which were transformed into programmatic actions and shaped youth declarations.

Global Youth Action

The WFF Global Youth Action Plan 2025–2026 was launched in 2024, providing a strategic two-year roadmap for the YPB, the Youth Assembly Secretariat and stakeholders. It identified regional challenges, policy priorities and actionable strategies. The plan outlined the methodology used in regional consultations, refined priorities, proposed solutions and key steps for implementation. Additionally, each region issued a call to action, mobilizing policymakers, scientists, NGOs, international organizations, farmers, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, the private sector and youth leaders to translate policies into meaningful, tangible actions.

Participation in international fora/Intergovernmental processes

Regional youth positions and contributions fed into global policy discussions by presenting Youth Assembly outcomes at major international fora, such as the Children and Youth Pavilion at the Conference of the Parties, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Partnerships Forum, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2024 and FAO Committees such as Committee on Fisheries and Committee on Agriculture. This presence strengthened youth voices and highlighted their role as changemakers in transforming agrifood systems.