Global Youth Summit 2021

Context:

WHO-backed global youth mobilization funds young people’s ideas to combat impact of COVID-19 pandemic

About:

• The Global Youth Summit is a unique virtual event designed with young people, for young people. Over three-days, between 23-25 April the Summit will convene young people from all over the world and key stakeholders from UN agencies, national governments and corporate partners to discuss the needs of young people in a post-COVID-19 world.
• As we look towards a post-pandemic future, the Global Youth Summit is a critical moment to share experiences and solutions that will inspire and support young people to take an active part in pandemic recovery within their communities and beyond.
• The virtual Summit will connect thousands of young people with an aim to:
• Inspire: by sharing examples of impactful initiatives implemented by young people at local, national, regional and global level.
• Enable: by providing a wide range of workshops offering hands-on, practical knowledge to young people by leading experts and peer educators.
• Engage: by providing networking opportunities for youth with peers and key stakeholders and identifying critical priorities for youth to champion and own in a post-COVID-19 world.

The virtual Summit will include:

• 3 plenary sessions with high-profile keynote speakers
• 70+ interactive breakout sessions involving a range of partners and delivered across multiple time zones
• 50+ expert speakers
• 5 core languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian
• Live broadcast of the full event on YouTube 

Global Youth Mobilization

1. Launched on April 19, 2021.
2. It is mandated to fund youth in communities impacted by the pandemic to take up innovative programmes to rebuild lives.
3. An initial $2 million (nearly Rs 15 crore) be available in four tiers, from $500 through to $5,000 and an “accelerator” programme will scale and replicate the most promising solutions, with further funding lined up over the coming months.

As a response to alleviating the negative impacts of the pandemic on young people, WHO has partnered with the Big Six Youth Organizations (YMCA, YWCA, IFRC, WAGGGS, WOSM, The Award) to initiate the Global Youth Mobilization. This initiative, powered by the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO, deploys four strategies in addressing the needs of young people:

1. Support for innovative local youth-led grassroots solutions to the negative impacts of COVID-19 through micro-grants and an accelerator programme.
2. Activation of national networks of the Big Six in response to the impact of COVID-19 on young people and their local communities.
3. Advocating for young people’s needs in a post COVID-19 world.
4. Contributing to the personal and professional development of young people where formal and non-formal education channels have been disrupted.

This ground-breaking mobilization will empower young people to respond to challenges in their local communities and recognize them for their efforts. It will build on a network of 250 million young people engaged through existing networks of the Big Six but also a wide range of partners to inspire young people to action and community service. 

Source: WHO