In recent years, young people have garnered increasing attention as critical stakeholders, and youth organisations have often been invited to various conferences and events both in Japan and internationally to express their opinions. Last year's United Nations’ "Summit of the Future" underscored this shift, with global consensus on the need to strengthen "meaningful youth engagement" at international and national levels to accelerate efforts towards achieving the SDGs. Particularly in the environmental field, the opinions of the next generations have long been emphasised from the perspective of sustainable development, as highlighted in the 1987 Brundtland Report "Our Common Future," which defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In Japan, the establishment of the Children and Families Agency in 2023 has also led to initiatives such as soliciting opinions on policies related to children and young people. However, youth participation is still often seen as tokenism, with young people lacking substantial influence in policy formulation and decision-making, indicating that the situation has not significantly improved.

This session forms part of a comparative study on the governance of SDG follow-up and review, and will present research findings on youth participation. We will explore potential collaborations among stakeholders to facilitate "meaningful youth participation," and examine why it still faces persistent barriers. The session will culminate in an interactive segment featuring several youth participants from a workshop co-organised by IGES and NatureLit Japan in June 2025. They will share their action plans, and we invite ISAP participants to contribute with comments and feedback, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas.