World Happiness Foundation Statement for the High-Level Plenary Meeting on the 30th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth

By Luis Miguel Gallardo – Founder & President, World Happiness Foundation

Introduction and Context

The World Happiness Foundation (WHF) welcomes the convening of the United Nations High-Level Plenary Meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) on 25 September 2025 at UN Headquarters. With the theme “WPAY at 30: accelerating global progress through intergenerational collaboration,” this gathering provides a crucial opportunity to reinvigorate our global commitment to youth development and intergenerational partnership. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1995, the WPAY remains the first and most comprehensive global policy framework for youth, outlining 15 priority areas – from education and employment to health, environment, and youth participation – as critical pillars of action. As we reflect on three decades of efforts, we recognize both the progress made and the urgent gaps that persist in fully realizing the vision of WPAY.

Today’s generation of young people is the largest in history: roughly 1.8 billion people are between the ages of 10 and 24, the vast majority in developing countries. How well this generation is supported will determine not only their own futures, but the future of our world. Yet far too many youth continue to be left behind. Around 175 million young people in low-income countries cannot read a full sentence, some 500 million youth survive on less than $2 per day, and over 73 million are unemployed – with young women facing even higher barriers to participation. These stark numbers underscore why “leaving no one behind,” a core principle of the 2030 Agenda, must center on youth. The WPAY’s vision of inclusive development is still far from fulfilled for millions of marginalized adolescents and young adults.

In alignment with our mission, the World Happiness Foundation asserts that mental health, happiness, forgiveness, well-being, peace, and hope are the foundations on which any thriving youth population must stand. We regard happiness as a human right and a deliberate life choice – an enabler of human development and social innovation. Likewise, we affirm that the well-being and inner resilience of young people are inseparable from the peace and prosperity of their societies. Indeed, from the very start the United Nations recognized youth as “a major human resource for development and key agents for social change… their imagination, ideals and considerable energies are essential for the development of the societies in which they live”. Our Foundation, having recently attained consul

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