Since joining the United Nations (UN) system, I have been involved in a wide range of youth-focused events and activities, either as a speaker, trainer, organizer, or a participant. During these activities, I always like asking young participants the same question: “Who are youth?” It brings me joy to see a brief pause, followed by a blank expression emerging on their faces.
To get closer to young people, perhaps I will ask another question – “Do you celebrate the Youth Day with your peers?” Most of the time, I will get the answer “NO”. It is not surprising, as I know very few young people are aware that 12 August is the International Youth Day (IYD) - an official date designated by the UN General Assembly to celebrate youth achievements and engagement worldwide.
These recurring moments inspired this blog. It aims to offer insights into the questions above by analyzing the themes of International Youth Day (IYD) between 2015 and 2025. More importantly, by tracing how youth have been framed by the IYD, it helps us be clearer about how the UN values young people over time.
Who are the youth?
The easiest answer is people between the age of 15 and 24, according to the UN1. However, this age-based definition varies across contexts, particularly in demographic, economic and socio-cultural settings. In some countries, people under 30 - or even 40 -, can identify themselves as youth.
Age might be the easiest way to define youth for statistical purposes, but it is not the only way to understand this demographic group. Following the UN’s definition, youth can be understood as a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood’s independence. This transitional period is particularly significant for personal development as it is often marked by rapid growth and great potential, but remains unstable and vulnerable to external conditions. Despite their potential, young people at this stage frequently require additional social, economic and institutional support.
Since 1999, the UN has sought to draw international attention to youth issues through celebrating the IYD annually. Looking back at IYD discourses over the past decade, it is easy to find that the UN has consistently emphasized that youth can play multiple roles across diverse fields, ranging from sustainable development, digital innovation, education, peace and security, health and wellbeing, climate and environmental governance, to social inclusion.
As beneficiaries
Within the IYD discourses, youth are described as a demographic group facing structural constraints. When describing young people’s living conditions, the IYD often uses “low” and “non-existent” to refer to available resources that youth can access, including educational opportunities, chances to engage in social and economic life, and safe spaces for free expression.
In the process of growing into adulthood, youth also face age-related barriers to employment, health and justice. In addition, IYD discourses pay special attention to young people, particularly those living in low-income countries, indigenous youth, young people with disabilities and young women. These groups are often considered as “vulnerable groups” who are more easily affected by unstable conditions.
By highlighting these challenges, the IYD frames youth as beneficiaries whose potential is limited by structural obstacles rather than individual shortcomings. Moreover, many of these obstacles are not fully recognized in practice. Therefore, creating enabling conditions becomes crucial to support youth development.
As participants and leaders
Over time, youth are increasingly described in IYD discourses as important participants or contributors to socio-economic development, despite the challenges they continue to face. This role shift is reflected in word usage, such as “active contributor”, “global efforts will not be achieved without youth participation”, and “the need for youth to make informed decisions”.
In response to global challenges, youth are further expected to play a key role in addressing concrete problems, such as making decisions on food choices and contributing to the long-term green transition. Youth-led organizations are discursively framed as important partners with other stakeholders.
At the same time, youth participation is valued as an instrumental tool within the IYD discourses. In particular, youth involvement in decision-making processes is framed as a means to increase the fairness of political processes and contribute to better and more sustainable policies.
Beyond participation, the IYD discourses increasingly extend youth roles towards leadership. For instance, the leading roles of young people in ensuring poverty eradication and the success of peacekeeping are reaffirmed in the 2016 and 2017 themes. In 2025, the IYD specifically emphasized that young people are “not just beneficiaries of development”, but “leaders”, “innovators”, and “agents of change” within their communities.
Recounting the IYD discourses, youth are simultaneously framed as a demographic group in need of support and as potential agents of change, which highlights a tension - while youth participation is encouraged, institutional efforts to empower youth remain limited.
Looking into the IYD discourses, youth are expected to play overlapping and evolving roles. While recognizing the disadvantaged conditions faced by youth, the UN increasingly values young people’s contribution to building a sustainable world through multiple and shifting roles, particularly as active participants and leaders. Consequently, empowering youth becomes a key mechanism to support them in taking leadership roles. However, as the IYD discourses consistently implied, meaningful youth empowerment depends on fully recognizing and removing structural constraints faced by youth. Therefore, collective efforts from relevant stakeholders are required to foster inclusive environment where young people can learn, grow, and fulfill their potential.
So next time, if I ask young participants again, “Who are youth? ”, I hope the answer will no longer be a blank smile, but a moment of recognition that youth is not only about age, but also roles that they are already playing.
References
Secretary-General’s Report to the General Assembly, A/36/215, 1981. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/21539?v=pdf
Suggested citation: Min Yang., "From Beneficiaries to Actors: Youth Roles in the UN Framework," UNU Macau (blog), 2026-04-09, 2026, https://unu.edu/macau/blog-post/beneficiaries-actors-youth-roles-un-framework.
