On October 28-30, 2014, the First Global Forum on Youth Policies (FGFYP), co-organized by the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, UNDP, UNESCO and the Council of Europe and hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The day preceding the Forum, a meeting of international stakeholders on youth policies was organized by the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi. The meeting aimed to provide a strategic opportunity to engage key stakeholders on youth policies as one of the key milestones in the year that will kick off the 20-year anniversary of the UN World Programme of Action for Youth.
The stakeholders meeting provided a platform for a select group of representatives from 45 key international, regional and sub-regional fora and networks, international and regional intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies, as well as development partners and foundations with expertise and demonstrated leadership in the area of youth issues and youth policies, to discuss youth policy, its implementation worldwide, and a way forward.
The meeting featured presentations from attendees followed by intimate working group discussions to: 1) dialogue around key issues of youth policies and to jointly strategize and identify ways to strengthen the global, regional and national commitments to the development, implementation, scaling up, monitoring and evaluation of such policies; 2) to strengthen communication and coordination 
among main actors of youth policy; 3) to encourage discussion around the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995 and the commemoration of its 20th anniversary, and to discuss and identify ways for strengthening its implementation; and 4) to explore modalities for continued engagement and collaboration of the international stakeholders beyond this specific meeting and the First Global Forum on Youth Policies in order to ensure continuity and follow through on the commitment to youth issues going forward.
Small group conversations highlighted that political will, commitment, capacity, and resources are all needed ingredients for successful youth policy.