UN Youth Townhall 2026: Call for UN Contributions to the First-Ever Youth Townhall in Heidelberg, Germany
The United Nations Youth Office has opened a call for contributions from the UN system at the global, regional and country levels for the first-ever UN Youth Townhall, scheduled to take place in Heidelberg, Germany, from December 8–10, 2026.
Developed by the extended Joint Working Group on Youth2030, the call provides an opportunity for UN entities, offices, teams, UN Country Teams and relevant multi-stakeholder initiatives involving the United Nations to contribute to the design and delivery of the Townhall.
The UN Youth Townhall is intended to create an institutional space where young people, policymakers and decision-makers from different sectors can engage in meaningful discussions about some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The event will focus on sustainable development, peace and security, human rights, intergenerational partnerships and practical action.
Through this call, the UN Youth Office is inviting interested UN actors to express their interest in contributing through interactive sessions, participation in the Global Youth Fair, expert and speaker contributions, or other relevant forms of support.
The initial expression of interest must be submitted by October 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.
What Is the UN Youth Townhall?
The UN Youth Townhall is a new platform designed to strengthen engagement between young people and institutional decision-makers.
The Townhall recognizes that young people are already contributing to innovation, advocacy, policymaking and community-level solutions around the world. Rather than treating youth as passive recipients of policy decisions, the initiative seeks to create an institutional space where young people can participate meaningfully in conversations about the challenges and opportunities shaping the future.
The event will bring together young people, policymakers and decision-makers across sectors to explore how different generations can work together to respond to current global challenges.
The Townhall is scheduled for:
Date: December 8–10, 2026
Location: Heidelberg, Germany
Who Is Organizing the UN Youth Townhall?
The initiative is being led by the United Nations Youth Office and has been developed through the extended Joint Working Group on Youth2030.
The call is directed toward the broader UN system, including actors operating at:
- Global level
- Regional level
- Country level
- UN Country Teams
- UN entities and offices
- Relevant multi-stakeholder initiatives involving the UN
The broad institutional approach reflects the Townhall’s objective of connecting actors working on youth issues across different sectors and levels.
What Can UN Entities Contribute?
The call provides several ways for interested UN entities and initiatives to participate.
1. Design and Deliver Interactive Sessions
UN entities and teams can express interest in designing and delivering interactive sessions during the Youth Townhall.
The emphasis on interactive formats provides an opportunity to move beyond traditional presentations and create spaces where young participants can engage directly with speakers, policymakers and other stakeholders.
Potential session contributions can draw on the expertise, programmes, initiatives and experiences of participating UN entities.
2. Participate in the Global Youth Fair
The call also invites contributions to the Global Youth Fair.
Participation in the Fair can provide an opportunity for UN entities and relevant initiatives to showcase their work, engage with young people and highlight programmes, partnerships and approaches related to youth engagement.
It can also contribute to the broader objective of connecting young people with organizations and actors working on youth-related issues.
3. Contribute Expertise or Speakers
Interested UN entities can also contribute through expertise or speakers.
This could allow organizations with relevant technical knowledge or experience to bring specialists and other appropriate voices into discussions at the Townhall.
The contribution of experts and speakers can help connect youth perspectives with institutional knowledge and practical experience across sustainable development, peace and security, human rights and other relevant areas.
4. Provide Other Relevant Support
The call is not limited to the three specific contribution areas above.
The UN Youth Office is also inviting UN actors to express interest in other relevant forms of support that could contribute to the successful delivery of the Youth Townhall.
This provides flexibility for participating entities whose potential contribution does not fit neatly into session delivery, Global Youth Fair participation or speaker/expert support.
Key Themes of the UN Youth Townhall
The UN Youth Townhall is anchored in several major United Nations frameworks and initiatives.
These include:
- The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- The Pact for the Future
- Youth2030
- The UN Youth Compass
These frameworks provide the broader policy and institutional context for the Townhall.
The event will explore how young people and decision-makers can work together to address contemporary challenges and develop practical approaches for shaping the future.
The UN Youth Compass
The Townhall is also connected to the United Nations Youth Office’s flagship initiative, the UN Youth Compass.
The UN Youth Compass advances meaningful youth participation in policymaking and decision-making at all levels.
This is important to the overall purpose of the Townhall because the initiative is intended not simply to discuss youth issues but to strengthen mechanisms through which young people can participate in decisions that affect their communities, countries and the wider world.
Why Is the UN Youth Townhall Important?
Young people are increasingly involved in developing solutions to social, economic, environmental and political challenges.
The call recognizes that youth are driving innovation, developing community-based solutions, advocating for change and influencing public policy.
However, meaningful youth participation also requires institutions to create appropriate spaces where young people can engage with decision-makers.
The UN Youth Townhall seeks to contribute to this process by bringing together young people and institutional actors in a dedicated space for dialogue and collaboration.
The Townhall is intended to:
- Bring young people into the conversation on major global challenges.
- Connect actors working on youth issues across sectors.
- Strengthen partnerships across generations.
- Encourage clear commitments and practical action.
- Create opportunities for dialogue between young people and decision-makers.
- Build on existing youth-related work and partnerships.
Focus on Intergenerational Collaboration
One of the important elements of the Townhall is its emphasis on collaboration between generations.
The event provides an opportunity for young people and established policymakers and decision-makers to engage with one another around shared challenges.
Rather than positioning youth and older generations as separate groups, the Townhall seeks to explore how different generations can work together to address contemporary challenges and shape the future.
This intergenerational approach can help connect the ideas, experiences and innovations of young people with institutional knowledge, policymaking processes and decision-making structures.
Areas of Engagement
The Townhall will create space for conversations across several major areas.
Sustainable Development
The Sustainable Development Goals provide an important foundation for the event.
Contributions can therefore connect youth participation with efforts to advance sustainable development and address challenges affecting communities around the world.
Peace and Security
The Townhall will also provide space to explore issues related to peace and security.
Young people can play important roles in peacebuilding, community resilience, dialogue and efforts to address conflict-related challenges.
Human Rights
Human rights represent another central area of engagement.
Youth participation in human rights advocacy, policymaking and community action can contribute to broader efforts to promote rights and inclusion.
Youth Participation in Decision-Making
A central theme running through the Townhall is the importance of meaningful youth participation.
The event seeks to strengthen opportunities for young people to engage with policymaking and decision-making processes rather than being included only as observers.
Who Can Express Interest?
This call is not primarily an individual application opportunity.
It is addressed to the UN system at global, regional and country levels.
The source specifically identifies potential contributors including:
- UN entities
- UN offices
- UN teams
- UN Country Teams
- Global, regional and country-level UN actors
- Multi-stakeholder initiatives involving the UN
The call therefore targets institutional actors rather than individual members of the public.
The supplied call does not establish an individual nationality, age, academic qualification, race or professional qualification requirement for contributors.
Information Required in the Expression of Interest
The expression-of-interest form begins with a section requesting information about the participating UN team and its focal point.
The form asks for:
- Name of the UN entity, office or team
- Division, Department or Office
- Country, region or global level
- Focal point’s full name and job title
- Focal point’s email address
The call states that the form contains six sections and should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Organizations considering participation should therefore ensure that an appropriate institutional focal point is available to coordinate the expression of interest.
What Happens After the Expression of Interest?
Submitting an expression of interest does not represent the end of the process.
The call states that selected contributors will be contacted regarding next steps.
These next steps may include:
- Developing detailed session concepts
- Making arrangements for the Global Youth Fair
- Coordinating speakers
- Addressing technical requirements
- Further planning related to the proposed contribution
Organizations should therefore be prepared to provide additional information if their proposed contribution is selected for further development.
Application Deadline
The deadline for initial expressions of interest is:
October 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT
Organizations interested in contributing should submit their expressions of interest before the stated deadline.
Because the contribution process may involve further coordination and development after the initial submission, interested UN entities should begin preparing their proposed contribution as early as possible.
How to Prepare a Strong Expression of Interest
Although the supplied call does not provide a detailed scoring framework, participating organizations can prepare by clearly defining how their proposed contribution would support the objectives of the Youth Townhall.
1. Identify the Proposed Contribution
Organizations should clearly determine whether they are interested in:
- Designing and delivering an interactive session;
- Participating in the Global Youth Fair;
- Providing experts or speakers; or
- Offering another relevant form of support.
2. Connect the Contribution to Youth Participation
The Townhall is centered on meaningful youth engagement.
A proposed contribution should therefore demonstrate how it can create meaningful opportunities for young people to participate, exchange ideas, contribute perspectives or engage with decision-makers.
3. Connect the Contribution to Relevant Global Priorities
Potential contributions should be considered in relation to the broader frameworks anchoring the Townhall, including the SDGs, the Pact for the Future, Youth2030 and the UN Youth Compass.
4. Consider Practical Delivery
Organizations interested in contributing should also be prepared to consider practical requirements associated with their proposed contribution.
For example, organizations proposing sessions may need to develop detailed concepts, while organizations proposing speakers may need to coordinate speaker information and technical requirements.
The call indicates that these details will be addressed with selected contributors during the next stage.
Key Dates
| Activity | Date |
|---|---|
| Initial expression of interest deadline | October 14, 2026, 5:00 p.m. EDT |
| UN Youth Townhall | December 8–10, 2026 |
| Location | Heidelberg, Germany |
Questions and Contact
Organizations that encounter issues with the application form or need clarification can contact the UN Youth Office through:
Email: youth2030@un.org
Additional information about the event is available through the official UN Youth Townhall webpage.
Visit HERE to learn more about the UN Youth Townhall 2026.
Conclusion
The UN Youth Townhall 2026 represents a new institutional platform for strengthening meaningful youth participation and intergenerational collaboration within the United Nations system.
Through this call, UN entities, offices, teams, UN Country Teams and relevant UN-involved multi-stakeholder initiatives have an opportunity to contribute directly to the event by designing interactive sessions, participating in the Global Youth Fair, providing experts and speakers, or offering other forms of relevant support.
Anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Pact for the Future, Youth2030 and the UN Youth Compass, the Townhall aims to connect young people with policymakers and decision-makers while strengthening partnerships and encouraging practical commitments.
Interested UN actors should note the October 14, 2026 deadline at 5:00 p.m. EDT and begin preparing their expressions of interest in advance. The first-ever UN Youth Townhall will take place in Heidelberg, Germany, from December 8–10, 2026, creating an important space for young people and institutions to work together on the challenges and opportunities shaping the future.
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