Every year on International Youth Day, governments, international organisations, and civil society increasingly celebrate young people as innovators, peacebuilders and leaders. Yet once the speeches end, decisions shaping their future continue to be made without them.
Young people are expected to tackle climate change, democratic backsliding, unemployment and conflict, but remain underrepresented in the institutions responsible for addressing these challenges. Participation is too often treated as an event rather than a permanent feature of democratic governance.
This must change. Young people’s participation should be protected by law, embedded within institutions and become part of everyday decision-making. My country, Cameroon, illustrates both the progress made and the work still to do.
From local voices to lasting influence
Over the past three decades, Cameroon has introduced significant decentralisation reforms to bring government closer to citizens, including Municipal Youth Councils designed to give young people a voice in local governance.
Through my work with Interfaith Vision Foundation Cameroon (IVFCam), we met young people eager to monitor public investment projects, contribute to budgets and engage with local authorities. What they lacked were clear institutional pathways that turned consultation into real influence.
Where councils embraced youth participation, young people contributed meaningfully. Better-informed citizens strengthened governance, while councils benefited from more constructive public engagement. Elsewhere, participation remained largely symbolic because there were no clear mechanisms defining how youth recommendations should shape local decisions.
One lesson became clear: legislation alone does not create participation.
Democracy works better when everyone has a seat at the table
Cameroon’s experience reflects a wider global challenge. Around the world, governments increasingly consult young people but rarely share decision-making power. Advisory groups and youth forums often exist without the legal authority, funding or institutional mandate needed to influence policy.
Yet meaningful participation is entirely achievable.
Countries such as Finland have legally recognised municipal youth councils that contribute to decisions on education, transport and urban planning.1 In Kenya, public participation laws have increasingly integrated young people into county budgeting and development planning, giving citizens a stronger voice in local decision-making.2
These examples demonstrate a simple principle: democracy becomes stronger, more responsive and more innovative when young people are recognised not as beneficiaries, but as governance partners.
Climate action cannot succeed without youth leadership
The need for institutionalised youth participation is particularly urgent in climate governance.
Young people did not create the climate crisis, yet they will live longest with its consequences. Across Africa they are already leading environmental initiatives, promoting climate awareness, developing local solutions and mobilising communities.
Despite this, they remain largely absent from the institutions responsible for designing climate policy.
This disconnect weakens governance. Policies developed without youth perspectives often overlook local realities and innovative solutions. When young people help shape climate adaptation strategies, governments benefit from stronger public trust, better local knowledge and more effective implementation.
Climate governance therefore requires more than youth activism. It requires youth representation where decisions are made.
An open letter to governments
As International Youth Day approaches, governments have an opportunity to move beyond celebration and make lasting commitments.
I call on governments to take five practical steps:
- Institutionalize youth advisory councils through legislation, with clearly defined mandates, responsibilities and links to elected institutions.
- Invest in youth participation, ensuring dedicated funding for civic education, leadership development and meaningful engagement.
- Embed young people within climate governance, giving them permanent representation in climate and environmental decision-making bodies.
- Strengthen transparency and accountability through participatory budgeting, open data and citizen-monitoring mechanisms that enable young people to contribute effectively.
- Measure effectiveness by influence rather than attendance, evaluating whether young people’s recommendations actually shape policy.
There is no summer break for our future
International Youth Day should not become another annual reminder of promises left unfulfilled.
Meaningful reform begins with political vision. The next step is ensuring that these commitments become permanent institutions capable of giving young people genuine influence over public decisions.
Having worked alongside municipal councils, youth networks and civil society organisations, I have seen what happens when young people are treated as partners rather than beneficiaries. They strengthen accountability, challenge complacency and bring fresh solutions to complex problems.
Around the world, young people are already building more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable communities. They should not have to wait for permission to help shape the policies that affect their lives.
