Youth Assembly
Regional
consultations
and sessions
Near East and North Africa
The World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Assembly in the Near East and North Africa serves as a strategic, youth-led platform dedicated to identifying, prioritizing 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 perspectives inform 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 beings with a comprehensive consultative phase, including dialogues in English, French and Arabic, to formulate the Regional Youth Recommendations to be presented at the Regional World Food Forum (WFF) for the Near East and North Africa, happening in parallel to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Conference for the Near East. Following the presentation, the Assembly is working to ensure that youth priorities are not only heard but also supported by rigorous analysis to facilitate their practical integration into institutional frameworks.
Our efforts remain strictly aligned with the regional priorities of the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, focusing on rural transformation and inclusive value chains, food security and healthy diets, water scarcity and climate action, and resilience to multiple shocks.
Timeline
2026
March
- Disseminate a regional survey in English, French and Arabic to capture diverse youth perspectives on emerging trends, policy gaps and shifts in regional priorities.
April
- Host a virtual consultation in collaboration with the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa to present preliminary survey findings and gather insights on emerging trends, policy gaps and shifts in regional priorities. Present the Regional Youth Statement at the Regional WFF for the Near East and North Africa.
June
- Launch of a targeted regional call for case studies to identify and document successful youth-led policy interventions and institutional engagement examples across Africa.
August
- Undertake policy mapping exercises and consultations to validate findings and assess the alignment between existing policy instruments and youth-led recommendations.
October
- Host an intergenerational policy dialogue at the WFF flagship event, bringing together young leaders, high level officials, parliamentarians and technical experts to present case study findings and examine factors for policy integration and discuss practical pathways for policy uptake within institutional frameworks.
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 Near East and North Africa 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 climate-smart agriculture, resilience and inclusivity for smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples, women and youth.
- 2023: Identifying challenges and calls to action
In 2023, the emphasis was on advancing sustainable practices through education and collaboration, laying the groundwork for inclusive and resilient agrifood systems.
- 2024: Narrowing the focus
By 2024, the focus will be on improving life and work conditions for rural social minorities in agrifood systems, with actionable steps such as promoting accessible education and developing innovation hubs for young farmers, setting the stage for the Global Youth Action Plan (GYAP) 2025-2026.
- 2025: Implementing the GYAP
In the GYAP, the Near East and North Africa region identified two major action items, including developing a collaborative platform for agricultural innovation for young farmers and building digital capacity for sustainable agriculture in the region. In 2025, the focus turned to manifesting these items through an innovation hub and trainers of trainers program.
Key regional documents
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
Read more about the other Regional Consultations
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