Green transition will result in creation of 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2030. Young people need to be well-equipped with green skills to navigate this changing environment.

Humanity depends on the boundless energy, ideas and contributions of youth everywhere. Today and every day, let’s support and stand with young people in shaping a just and sustainable world, for people and planet. "

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

2023 Theme: Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World

Today, the world is embarking on a green transition. The shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A successful transition towards a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population. Green skills are “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society”.

These include technical knowledge and skills that enable the effective use of green technologies and processes in occupational settings, as well as transversal skills that draw on a range of knowledge, values and attitudes to facilitate environmentally sustainable decisions in work and in life. Due to their interdisciplinary nature, the essence of green skills is sometimes expressed, partly if not wholly, through other associated terms such as “skills for the future” and “skills for green jobs”. While green skills are relevant for people of all ages, they have heightened importance for younger people, who can contribute to the green transition for a longer period of time.

For the official commemoration of International Youth Day 2023, DESA will organize a global webinar in collaboration with the UN Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth and Generation Unlimited. The webinar will offer critical information and data and will promote discussions and an exchange of ideas on green skills for youth. It will feature perspectives from international organizations, national governments and young experts working in this area. Knowledge products will be developed to support and encourage stakeholders to celebrate International Youth Day 2023 in their various contexts and roles. Please find the webinar agenda here.

Celebrating Ways #YouthLead

Follow along at @UNYouthEnvoy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Creating your own #YouthLead content and sharing some of our key messages — which are all available in the campaign communications toolkit.

Young people can participate in the takeover via public submission (beginning 22 July; link to be available in the master Trello board) or partner nomination.

Please visit the UN Youth Envoy website to learn more about the campaign.

UN