On behalf of the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, we are pleased to announce that in celebration of International Youth Day this year we will be hosting the first-ever fully virtual #YouthLead Innovation Festival from 12 to 13 August 2021 (8:30 to 11:30 am EDT).

Over the challenging past year, we have seen how young people continue to be a source of inspiration and hope for the world through their resilience, persistence and innovative solutions. Yet, too often, many young innovators from vulnerable and marginalized communities continue to be left behind. With this in mind, the #YouthLead Innovation Festival seeks to highlight the role of all young people as innovators and solution-makers, as well as the efforts that partners have led to support them, by celebrating youth-led solutions that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and COVID-19 response and recovery. 

Over the course of the two days, the Festival will feature sessions focused on six thematic tracks, including: Health & Wellbeing, Climate Action & Biodiversity, Economic Empowerment & Employment, Digital Technology, Food Security, and Education.

Watch the event recordings:

• Day One (Health and Wellbeing, Climate Action and Biodiversity, Economic Empowerment and Employment): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWr2hEqT8L0&t=2469s
• Day Two (Digital Technology, Food Security, Education): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIdxV49mwFo&t=7406s