Insights from the UN World Food Forum Side Event: Leveraging international processes for youth empowerment

Guest article contributed by Daniel Montas, Junior Research Associate – Youth Leadership Programme Alumnus , TMG Research gGmbH

This year has seen a rise for international forums and discussions on global challenges like food security and climate change, with COP29 marking the final key gathering. As these issues become more urgent, young people have taken on a stronger presence, participating in increasingly larger numbers. Yet what is the role of youth in participating in these discussions? Youth involvement is not just about showing up - it is about having a real impact. Within global forums, youth engagement often risks being tokenistic, relegating young voices to advocacy without proper decision-making channels. Recognizing this, TMG Research, with support from the BMZ, conducted a side event at the World Food Forum aimed to move beyond these limitations by exploring how young people have actively engaged with multiple levels of governance to drive food systems transformation, both top down as well as bottom up.  

Recognizing this, our side event at the World Food Forum set out to confront and move beyond tokenism. By featuring young leaders and exploring the critical role of youth in food systems transformation, we emphasized that young people are essential not only in advocating for change but in actively leading it through engagement, accountability, and sustained involvement at every level. The speakers, Dr. Nicole de Paula of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub (Hub), policy strategist Vikrant Srivastava (India), social entrepreneur Andile Mnguni (South Africa), and agricultural engineer Elizabeth Mwende (Kenya), shared insights on meaningful youth involvement in food systems. 

Dr. Nicole de Paula: The power of global convening for youth empowerment 

Representing the Hub, Dr. de Paula emphasized the importance of creating meaningful roles for youth within country-driven spaces to ensure their contributions are not just symbolic. For her, the power of the UN as a convening space lies in its potential to bring government, scientific groups and civil society together to break down silos. This is perceived as an essential step for any sustainable transformation. Nicole called for youth to act as knowledge pollinators, advocating for systemic change at the national level and helping make visible the ongoing contributions of young leaders. The Hub has been able to bring this into fruition with the implemented Youth Leadership Programme (YLP).  

To maximize youth impact, Dr. de Paula stressed the need for a dual approach: fostering skills on systems thinking among young people and fostering institutional accountability. While she acknowledged the value of youthful passion, she urged participants to pair it with a solutions-oriented mindset and integrity, cautioning against purely critical approaches that might limit effectiveness. 

Vikrant Srivastava: Building capacity and localizing international policies 

Vikrant, an expert in intergovernmental processes and youth engagement, highlighted the challenges of involving youth in policymaking, particularly for countries with diverse demographics like India. He outlined efforts to localize international food policies through the WFF mechanism called the “national youth chapters”, which serve as bridges between international insights and local implementation. These chapters, he explained, translate complex policy recommendations into accessible language, allowing young people across the country to understand and engage with global commitments like Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). 

One example where youth have been able to successfully align their interest at an international level for maximized impact has been through YOUNGO’s Global Youth Statement, which consolidates insights from over 5,000 youth into a single document that can be easily shared with national authorities, allowing for targeted recommendations. By building “youth-friendly” processes, Vikrant argued, international organizations could ensure youth contributions resonate at local levels. He believes that community-building at the global level can empower youth to act as advocates and allies within their own countries. 

Andile Alexius Mnguni: Addressing tokenism and creating genuine engagement 

Andile, founder of The Source, a movement focused on highlighting farmers experiences, challenged the tokenistic approach to youth participation in food systems transformation. She argued that while youth are often included at the table, their influence on decision-making remains limited, as the existing structures tend to undervalue their unique expertise and perspectives. Meaningful engagement requires the empowerment of young people to participate fully in solution-building and implementation rather than merely amplifying their voices within unchanged systems. 

Andile advocated for a knowledge exchange between generations, suggesting that both young and older participants have valuable insights to share and should learn from each other. She encouraged youth to fall in love with the problem instead of specific solutions, remaining flexible in their approaches to tackle systemic issues in food systems. Equally, established stakeholders need to share power more equitably, in order to create more space for youth to influence outcomes substantively. 

Elizabeth Mwende: Elevating youth rights in food systems through national engagement 

Elizabeth, an agricultural engineer and leader of the Africa Climate and Environment Foundation, highlighted how international support, particularly through initiatives like the YLP, has empowered youth to engage effectively with national governments on food systems transformation. She presented results on a successful workshop held in Kenya between youth delegates and the assigned Kenyan National Convenor to advance the countries national pathway. This showcased how programs like the YLP offer youth a platform for legitimacy, helping them advocate for food system changes that account for youth rights and perspectives.  

The discussion equally stressed the importance of making use of spaces such as the WFF, COPs & co, learning from international peers while customizing insights to local contexts. Yet, she acknowledged that despite their growing voice, youth participation often lacks real implementation power. Young people should aim not to work in a silo but to build local teams that can support national initiatives and expand their impact. 

Key takeaways for youth empowerment in food systems 

The panelists agreed on several priorities for empowering youth in food systems transformation: 

• Building capacity: Young people need access to knowledge and resources to drive localized action. 
• Breaking silos: Youth engagement should go beyond participation to foster systemic collaboration across sectors and silos. 
• Two-way responsibility: While systems need to change, youth privileged to participate in international fora have a responsibility to demonstrate why they deserve a seat through action and engagement.
• Community-building: Local, national and global networks enable youth to support each other and advocate for change within their communities. 

Multilevel dynamics—bridging global, national, and local governance—need to be reinforced consistently to create sustainable change. This requires an active commitment to collaboration not only between sectors but also across generations, where established leaders and youth learn from each other and innovate together. The task ahead is undoubtedly great, yet the energy, excitement, and drive for transformation are palpable. By building capacity, breaking down silos, and fostering community, we can ensure that youth are empowered not just as participants but as leaders in shaping resilient food systems.