World Food Forum Youth Representatives Programme 2025

📖 About the Programme

The World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Representatives Programme 2025 is part of the WFF's Global Youth Action Initiative, which engages members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), partners, youth organizations, youth constituencies, and other relevant bodies. Youth Representatives play a key role in the WFF Youth Assembly, a platform for youth to voice their perspectives and priorities for agrifood systems transformation.

Through WFF National Youth Chapters, Youth Representatives can translate policy recommendations into concrete actions at the local level.

Objectives:

• Strengthen youth engagement and co-leadership in decision-making spaces through the WFF Youth Assembly.
• Facilitate actionable and innovative solutions, bringing youth-driven priorities from local and national levels to global agrifood policy discussions.
• Ensure diverse representation, particularly for youth from underrepresented regions and sectors, such as the Global South, young farmers, Indigenous youth, and marginalized communities.

📅 Opportunity Details

• Date Published: July 24, 2025
• Application Deadline: August 10, 2025
• Category: Training
• Sponsor Organisation: World Food Forum (WFF)

🎁 Benefits

The WFF Youth Representatives Programme provides young people with the opportunity to:

• Engage in global deliberations as panelists or discussants, ensuring youth voices are represented in regional and thematic Youth Assembly sessions, consultations, and workshops throughout the year and at the WFF flagship event (October 10–17, 2025).
• Contribute to drafting youth-oriented policies by reviewing language, providing technical expertise, and sharing regional and local youth perspectives.
• Foster youth consensus within local communities to identify agrifood systems challenges and propose actionable, innovative, and inclusive solutions.
• Support local action through engagement with WFF National Youth Chapters.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the programme, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Age Requirement:

   • Minimum 18 years old and maximum 35 years old during the entire tenure.

2. Eligible Applicants:

   • Members of youth organizations or networks related to food, agriculture, development, environment, or other relevant fields.
   • Stakeholder group members (e.g., young farmers, fisherfolk, Indigenous youth).
   • Young members of ministries, cabinets, or national institutions.
   • Students in agrifood systems and related fields.
   • Past/current youth delegates to the United Nations or international conferences.
   • Individuals with a keen interest in food, agriculture, development, environment, or related fields.

3. Skills and Commitment:

   • Ability to adapt to an international and multicultural environment.
   • Strong intercultural communication skills.
   • Commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion.

4. Preferences:

   • Experience within youth constituencies or organizations.
   • Special consideration for women and underrepresented stakeholders, including farmers and Indigenous Peoples.

5. Exclusions:

   • Current members of the WFF's Young Scientists Group (YSG) or Youth Policy Board (YPB) are not eligible to apply.

6. Additional Notes:

   • Applicants are encouraged to reapply at the end of their tenure if they continue to meet the criteria.
   • Academic delegations nominated by universities and government-nominated delegations are eligible.

🌟 Responsibilities of a WFF Youth Representative

Youth Representatives play a key role in ensuring youth voices are meaningfully represented at all levels of agrifood systems discussions. Their engagement includes:

1. Regional Youth Assembly Sessions:

   • Building consensus among local youth and providing reflections, feedback, and comments during regional consultations and workshops.

2. Thematic Youth Assembly Sessions:

   • Providing technical expertise and feedback during thematic sessions, consultations, and workshops.

3. Youth Statements and Reports:

   • Reviewing draft youth statements and reports, providing comments, and ensuring technical soundness.

4. WFF National Youth Chapters:

   • Contributing to solution-building for local contexts through National Youth Chapters.

📋 Engagement Criteria

During their term, Youth Representatives are expected to:

• Regional Consultations:

  • Choose one region they belong to or have expertise in and attend at least two regional consultations virtually or in hybrid modality at the WFF flagship event.
  • Submit brief reflection statements after each consultation.

• Thematic Consultations:

  • Choose up to two themes they have expertise in and attend at least two thematic consultations per theme.
  • Submit brief reflection statements after each consultation.

• Drafting Youth Statements:

  • Provide comments and reflections on draft youth statements and reports within three weeks of receiving them.

• Feedback:

  • Provide timely feedback on the programme and their personal experience through periodic forms.

• Social Media Engagement:

  • Share updates on proceedings and engagements through their social media platforms.

🔍 Selection Process

Candidates are selected based on a review of their application by the WFF Youth Assembly Secretariat, which evaluates them against eligibility and experience criteria.

Key Points:

• The programme operates on a cohort-based system, with two calls for applications per year.
• Selected candidates serve a one-year term with opportunities for continued involvement.
• Applications for the second cohort are open until August 10, 2025.

📝 Application Process

To apply for the programme:

1. Applications will be assessed according to the selection criteria, including the submission of a valid nomination letter.
2. Shortlisted candidates will undergo review by the WFF Youth team for final selection.
3. Successful applicants will be notified and proceed to the onboarding phase.

📅 Application Deadline

August 10, 2025

For more details and to apply, visit the World Food Forum Youth Representatives Programme 2025.

To submit your application, click here.

• Engage in global deliberations as panelists or discussants, sharing perspectives and insights to ensure youth voices from all backgrounds and local contexts are meaningfully represented in regional and thematic Youth Assembly sessions, consultations and workshops virtually throughout the year and in person at the WFF flagship event from 10 to 17 October 2025;
• Contribute to drafting youth-oriented policies and statements by reviewing language, providing technical expertise and sharing regional and local youth perspectives;
• Foster youth consensus within local communities to identify specific agrifood systems challenges and propose actionable, innovative and inclusive solutions and priorities at the community, local and national levels;
• Engage with WFF National Youth Chapters, where established, to support local action to transform agrifood systems.