International Youth Day

International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first IYD was observed on 12 August, 2000.

International Youth Day is observed annually on August 12th. It is meant as an opportunity for governments and others to draw attention to youth issues worldwide. During IYD, concerts, workshops, cultural events, and meetings involving national and local government officials and youth organizations take place around the world. IYD was designated by the United Nations in 1999.

International Youth Day's Slogan for 2014 was Youth and Mental Health. For 2015, it was Youth and Civic Engagement. The theme of the 2016 International Youth Day was “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production. For 2017, the theme of IYD is "Youth Building Peace". The theme for IYD 2018 was "Safe Spaces for Youth". In this way it will go on which recognises the contributions of young people to preventing conflict, supporting inclusion, social justice, and sustain peace. For 2019, the theme of IYD was "Transforming education" to make education inclusive and accessible for all youth. And for 2020, the theme of IYD was "Youth Engagement for Global Action". The theme for 2021 IYD was "Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health".

The objective of this year’s International Youth Day theme, Intergenerational solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages, is to amplify the message that action is needed across all generations to achieve the SDGs and leave no one behind.