{"id":13496,"date":"2026-07-14T16:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T14:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/?p=13496"},"modified":"2026-07-20T16:48:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:48:45","slug":"hlpf-2026-remarks-by-italys-undersecretary-for-the-environment-and-energy-security-hon-claudio-barbaro-at-side-event-co-hosted-by-italy-future-makers-youth-engagement-and-youth-voluntary-re","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/news\/dalla_rappresentanza\/2026\/07\/hlpf-2026-remarks-by-italys-undersecretary-for-the-environment-and-energy-security-hon-claudio-barbaro-at-side-event-co-hosted-by-italy-future-makers-youth-engagement-and-youth-voluntary-re\/","title":{"rendered":"HLPF 2026 &#8211;  Remarks by Italy&#8217;s Undersecretary for the Environment and Energy Security, Hon. Claudio Barbaro, at side event co-hosted by Italy &#8220;Future Makers: Youth Engagement and Youth Voluntary Reviews for Systemic Change&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>(Courtesy Translation)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Distinguished co-organizers, Honourable Chief of Staff, Excellencies, delegates, and young women and men,<\/p>\n<p>Allow me first to express my sincere appreciation to all the partners who contributed to organizing this event, in particular the Kingdom of Tonga and the European Youth Forum.<\/p>\n<p>My special thanks also go to the representatives of the younger generations who are taking part in today&#8217;s discussion and who will share their experiences, ideas, and perspectives with us.<\/p>\n<p>The topic we are addressing is of particular importance.<\/p>\n<p>With fewer than four years remaining until the 2030 Agenda deadline, the international community is called upon not only to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, but also to strengthen the quality of the processes through which we shape public policies.<\/p>\n<p>In this regard, the Summit of the Future marked an important milestone.<\/p>\n<p>With the adoption of the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations, Member States made a shared commitment to strengthen the capacity of institutions to take a long-term perspective and to meaningfully engage younger generations in decision-making processes.<\/p>\n<p>The Declaration on Future Generations specifically highlights the need to integrate an intergenerational perspective into public policymaking and to promote increasingly effective and structured youth participation.<\/p>\n<p>For this reason, we believe that younger generations should be recognized as key stakeholders and partners in the design of public policies.<\/p>\n<p>It is within this framework that Italy is presenting today its first **Youth Voluntary Review**.<\/p>\n<p>We developed this initiative as an integral part of our Voluntary National Review process and as a concrete contribution to strengthening youth participation in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n<p>For us, the Youth Voluntary Review is not a stand-alone exercise, nor is it an activity limited to the review process itself.<\/p>\n<p>Rather, it represents a milestone in a broader journey, developed together with public institutions, civil society, the education sector, local authorities, and youth organizations. I am particularly pleased to see here today some of the key actors involved in this process, who will contribute to our discussion by sharing the experiences, ideas, and perspectives developed throughout this common journey.<\/p>\n<p>This process has brought together experiences and contributions from the national, local, and international levels, confirming the value of a multi-stakeholder and multi-level approach to implementing the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Particular attention has been devoted to strengthening the link between youth participation and policymaking through workshops, consultation activities, and tools designed to enhance the capacity of institutions to assess the impact of public decisions on younger generations.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, we have promoted initiatives targeting schools and local communities, driven by the conviction that participation must be inclusive, accessible, and capable of engaging young people from diverse backgrounds.<\/p>\n<p>What we consider particularly important is that this process does not end today.<\/p>\n<p>The experiences gathered, the contributions received, and the participatory spaces that have been created will continue to inform the ongoing work on Italy&#8217;s National Sustainable Development Strategy, further strengthening its participatory and intergenerational dimensions.<\/p>\n<p>One of the key challenges ahead will be to consolidate these processes, making the contribution of younger generations an increasingly integrated component of public decision-making. In this regard, the work carried out by the United Nations through the Youth2030 Strategy provides an important point of reference for us all.<\/p>\n<p>We will have the opportunity to explore these issues further during today&#8217;s discussion.<\/p>\n<p>We are convinced that no country possesses all the answers to the challenges we face. This is precisely why today&#8217;s exchange with the United Nations, our international partners, and representatives of younger generations is so valuable.<\/p>\n<p>The experiences we will hear today may differ, but I believe they all point to the same conclusion: youth participation is not merely an additional component of sustainable development policies\u2014it is an essential condition for making them more effective, more equitable, and better equipped to address the long term.<\/p>\n<p>Our responsibility towards future generations is not fulfilled simply by imagining tomorrow. Above all, it is fulfilled by creating today the spaces, opportunities, and tools that enable young women and men to play an active role in shaping that future. This is the powerful message that Italy&#8217;s younger generations have conveyed to us.<\/p>\n<p>It is in this spirit that Italy presents its first Youth Voluntary Review: not as a final destination, but as the beginning of a journey that we are committed to making increasingly structured, inclusive, and capable of having a tangible impact on public policymaking.<\/p>\n<p>We hope that today&#8217;s discussion will strengthen an international community that is ever more committed to listening to, engaging, and empowering younger generations. Because investing in youth participation means investing in the quality of the decisions we make today and in the future we will be able to build together.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Courtesy Translation) Distinguished co-organizers, Honourable Chief of Staff, Excellencies, delegates, and young women and men, Allow me first to express my sincere appreciation to all the partners who contributed to organizing this event, in particular the Kingdom of Tonga and the European Youth Forum. My special thanks also go to the representatives of the younger [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":13493,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13496"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13511,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13496\/revisions\/13511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/italyun.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}