The World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Assembly in Europe and Central Asia serves as a strategic youth-led platform dedicated to identifying and addressing the unique challenges within the region’s agrifood systems. Our mission is to empower young people as key stakeholders in agrifood systems transformation, ensuring their voices are central to regional policymaking processes.

For the 2026–2027 biennium, the Assembly is pursuing a logical progression that bridges regional advocacy with in-depth analytical work. This process will begin with a comprehensive consultative process to formulate the Regional Youth Reccomendations for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Conference for Europe (ERC35). Following the conference, this foundational advocacy will transition into a phase of policy mapping and case study synthesis. This evolution ensures that youth priorities are not only heard but also supported by rigorous analysis to facilitate their practical integration into institutional frameworks.

Our efforts remain aligned with the regional priorities of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, focusing on reducing food loss and waste, enhancing digital skills training and strengthening youth engagement in rural development.

Timeline

Previous engagements

• 2021: Launching the Youth Action Compendium
  In 2021, the Youth Assembly launched the Youth Action Compendium, highlighting youth demands in agrifood systems with a focus on FAO’s four betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.

• 2022: Laying the foundation
  In 2022, the Europe and Central Asia region initiated the development of its  Youth Action Regional Compendium, analyzing over 30 youth-led documents and holding virtual consultations and surveys. Key policy priority areas for the region included reducing food loss and waste, supporting smallholder farmers and improving access to nutritious food.

• 2023: Identifying challenges and calls to action
  In 2023, the focus turned to food loss and waste, with recommendations for preventive measures, education, and increased youth involvement in addressing these challenges.

• 2024: Narrowing the focus
  By 2024, the Europe and Central Asia Youth Assembly highlighted the need for stronger youth engagement in the agrifood supply chain, particularly in rural areas. Calls were made for more training, resources, and policy changes to empower young people in these spaces, setting the stage for the Global Youth Action Plan (GYAP) 2025-2026.

• 2025: Implementing the GYAP
  In the GYAP, the Europe and Central Asia region identified two major action items that focused on enhancing knowledge on food loss and waste in Western Europe and championing rural communities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In 2025, the focus turned to manifesting these items through a series of workshops and the establishment of a regional stakeholder network.

Youth policy recommendations for agrifood system transformation in Europe and Central Asia

Youth-led recommendations in occasion of the 35th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia

Global Youth Action Plan (GYAP) 2025–2026

The strategic roadmap that guided regional priorities and implementation strategies during the 2025 cycle

Youth Action Regional Compendium 2022

A summary of policy priorities and actionable recommendations derived from regional youth manifestos and surveys