Main actors

The main actor is the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) also contributes to the promotion of the involvement of young people in global issues, mainly through its involvement in revising the National Strategy for the Global Citizenship Education (Strategia Nazionale per l’Educazione alla Cittadinanza Globale – ECG), with the creation of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), as well as with its contribution in supporting the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum and the activities of the Y20 and Y7 summits.

The Department for Youth Policies and the Universal Civil Service (DPGSCU) is the support structure for the President of the Council of Ministers for the promotion and connection of Government actions aimed at ensuring the implementation of policies in favour of youth and in the field of universal civil service (Cf. 1).

Furthermore, the Italian Youth Agency significantly contributes to the promotion of youth active participation within the international context (Cf. 1).

A specific youth representation body, the National Youth Council (Cf. 1.4), has been established to ensure and increase the participation of young people in the civil and political life of the country. The law establishing the Council therefore represents a strategic instrument whose main objective – in addition to ensuring the representation of young people – is to spread and increase youth participation, including on global issues.

General distribution of responsibilities

In view of the renewal of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (SNSvS) – a path aimed at assuming at a national level the principles and goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a process that foresees the involvement of a plurality of subjects on the basis of the key principle of inclusion was established in Italy.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

To coordinate youth policies at a national level, the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service (DPGSCU) works through memoranda of understanding, agreements, working groups and inter-ministerial tables. The DPGSCU works in consultation with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security for various initiatives within the 2030 Agenda, including the United Nations Conference of the Parties on climate change (COP26) of which Italy had the co-presidency in 2021. 

The Y20  Summit organized by the Young Ambassadors Society, the youth association responsible for the youth processes of the G7/G20 Summits for Italy, under the auspices of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) (Cf. 9.7) was held in Italy in 2021.

Y20 is the discussion platform that gives young people from the G20 countries the opportunity to express their vision and propose innovative ideas to the G20 Presidents and Heads of State (Cf.  9.7).