OECD Local Development Forum 2025 Annual Meeting

Empowering Youth in the Americas and the Caribbean: Innovation, Connectivity, and Action for a Sustainable Future. Featuring experiences and insights from regional and international experts.

Jul 11, 2025 | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Puerta de Oro - Auditorium

Description

Event held by the Youth Congress for Sustainable Americas, a program of the Biennial of the Americas. Youth are the changemakers of today and the innovators of tomorrow. Their active participation in local development not only addresses urgent social, economic, and environmental challenges but also contributes to a more inclusive, sustainable future. This event will explore the critical role that youth play in driving transformative change, particularly through leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. We aim to highlight the power of youth-led initiatives and their potential to influence local development policies and practices. Through the active involvement of delegates from the Youth Congress for Sustainable Americas (YCSA), we will bring forward fresh perspectives, ideas, and solutions that can serve as models for other regions. The event will emphasize the importance of connecting young leaders with key stakeholders across sectors (government, business, civil society) to foster long-term collaborations, ideas, and networks that will shape the future of local development. Objectives: Showcase youth leadership: Demonstrate how youth-led initiatives are addressing local development challenges with innovative solutions. Foster intergenerational and intersectoral connections: Encourage collaborations between youth, governments, private sector, and civil society organizations to generate impactful solutions. Provide a platform for new ideas: Create a space for young leaders to share their vision, insights, and strategies for transforming their communities and the future. Strengthen networks for collective action: Highlight the importance of networking and partnerships to build sustainable, inclusive, and resilient local economies.