The Vatican Youth Symposium will return to the Casina Pio IV in Vatican City on 8-9 October 2026, marking its tenth edition, convening young leaders, experts, and decision-makers addressing some of humanity’s most urgent challenges.
Co-hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS) and SDSN Youth – the flagship initiative for young people of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) – this invitation-only gathering has become a leading global forum for youth leadership in sustainable development. It serves as an intergenerational platform for building partnerships, strengthening social movements, and transforming ideas into action.
The tenth edition will bring together 45 participants representing various regions and sectors, including civil society, academia, faith communities, government, international organizations, philanthropy, and the private sector.
Safeguarding Our Common Future
This year’s theme, Safeguarding Our Common Future: From Vision to Collective Action, will prompt participants to consider how youth can envision and create progress for our common future, inspired by the words of Pope Leo XIV: “Solidarity arises precisely when we decide not to remain indifferent to what happens to our neighbor but instead to transform unavoidable bonds, economic, cultural and technological, into paths of sharing, cooperation and mutual care, embracing the idea of “thinking and acting in terms of community” (Magnifica Humanitas, §74).
The gathering comes at a defining moment for the global sustainable development agenda. With four years remaining until the 2030 deadline, preparations are underway for the 2027 SDG Summit as governments and institutions consider the priorities that will shape the next decade. Against this backdrop, the Symposium will position young people at the center of decision-making, not as symbolic participants, but as essential partners in designing and implementing the future global agenda.
From Dialogue to Action
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The Vatican Youth Symposium will return to the Casina Pio IV in Vatican City on 8-9 October 2026, marking its tenth edition, convening young leaders, experts, and decision-makers addressing some of humanity’s most urgent challenges.
Co-hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS) and SDSN Youth – the flagship initiative for young people of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) – this invitation-only gathering has become a leading global forum for youth leadership in sustainable development. It serves as an intergenerational platform for building partnerships, strengthening social movements, and transforming ideas into action.
The tenth edition will bring together 45 participants representing various regions and sectors, including civil society, academia, faith communities, government, international organizations, philanthropy, and the private sector.
Safeguarding Our Common Future
This year’s theme, Safeguarding Our Common Future: From Vision to Collective Action, will prompt participants to consider how youth can envision and create progress for our common future, inspired by the words of Pope Leo XIV: “Solidarity arises precisely when we decide not to remain indifferent to what happens to our neighbor but instead to transform unavoidable bonds, economic, cultural and technological, into paths of sharing, cooperation and mutual care, embracing the idea of “thinking and acting in terms of community” (Magnifica Humanitas, §74).
The gathering comes at a defining moment for the global sustainable development agenda. With four years remaining until the 2030 deadline, preparations are underway for the 2027 SDG Summit as governments and institutions consider the priorities that will shape the next decade. Against this backdrop, the Symposium will position young people at the center of decision-making, not as symbolic participants, but as essential partners in designing and implementing the future global agenda.
From Dialogue to Action
Across seven sessions over one and a half days, participants will examine interconnected challenges affecting people, communities, and the planet.
Panel discussions will explore the protection of human rights and gender equality amid conflict, social division, and disinformation, as well as practical pathways for climate resilience and financing a climate-forward future. The program will also consider how artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, changing workplaces, and evolving skills are reshaping the future of work.
Additional sessions will focus on building inclusive and resilient communities, strengthening shared spaces and social connections, and accelerating sustainable development through renewed partnerships, innovative approaches, stronger implementation, and accountability. The program will recognize the tenth anniversary of SDSN Youth’s Local Pathways Fellowship and its contributions to locally led urban transformation.
The Symposium will conclude with a forward-looking conversation on the future of sustainable development, examining the priorities and systemic shifts needed to accelerate progress through 2030 and beyond. Delegates will be encouraged to identify opportunities for continued collaboration and to apply the lessons of the Symposium within their own initiatives, institutions, and communities.
Ten Years of Youth-Led Progress
Since its establishment, the Vatican Youth Symposium has provided a unique space for young people to engage directly with experienced leaders, exchange knowledge across generations and sectors, and build relationships capable of sustaining long-term action.
Its tenth edition will celebrate the community and collaborations developed over the past decade while looking ahead to the decisions that will shape the future of sustainable development.
At a time of growing global uncertainty, the 2026 Vatican Youth Symposium will reaffirm a central message: Safeguarding our common future requires more than ambition. It requires solidarity, shared responsibility, and collective action – and young people must be recognized as indispensable partners in that work.
Please Note: The Vatican Youth Symposium is an invitation-only event and is not open to public registration. Due to the nature and capacity of the gathering, the organizing team is unable to consider or respond to unsolicited requests to attend.
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