On International Youth Day 2026, the UN hosted a summit to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can support the SDGs, placing youth at the heart of these discussions. A youth-led declaration, which calls for youth’s meaningful participation in the governance of, and equitable access to, AI, will inform future UN-led efforts to shape global AI governance, particularly implementation of the Global Digital Compact agreed alongside the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations in 2024.

Convened by the International Organization of Youth, with Ambassadors from the Bahamas and Dominica, the 2026 Youth and AI Summit brought together around 600 young people, positioning youth as partners in today’s global society.

Building on the UN’s previous efforts to integrate youth voices into decision-making processes on AI, including the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Board, and the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the event acknowledged the unique ways in which AI is affecting young people.

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In his address, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier highlighted Youth Day as “an opportunity to listen to young people from different backgrounds on how AI can better serve the future of humanity,” underscoring the need to involve youth at the beginning to ensure participation is meaningful.

An opening session reflected on the role of young people in leading discussions around AI. Several ambassadors and UN representatives said young people must play a role in shaping the future of AI standards across the globe as they will live with AI impacts the longest. Ambassador of Dominica Philbert Aaron characterized the conversation as not simply about technology but also “about power, dignity, opportunity, culture and the future we choose to build together.”

Discussions also touched upon how to ensure developing countries are not left behind in the AI transition, with speakers calling for inclusive AI governance. “Technological progress will not automatically translate into human progress if developing countries lack access to the infrastructure, computing capacity, skills, finance and knowledge,” warned Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail, governor of Pakistan’s Balochistan region.

In his International Youth Day message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for working with young people as equal partners to “unlock the demographic dividend, accelerate sustainable development, and bring their energy and expertise to bear on some of the defining crises of our time.” He emphasized the importance of granting youth “a greater role in decision-making processes at the local, national, and international levels.”

The 2026 Youth and AI Summit took place at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 12 August 2026. The full text of the Youth-led Declaration on AI Policy and Governance is forthcoming. [UN News Story]