Regional Workshop on Pathways for Meaningful Youth Engagement in

UNESCO recognises youth as key actors in addressing the intertwined challenges of climate, digital, and social inclusion. Their contribution makes them essential drivers of social transformation. However, across South-East Europe, young people often face limited opportunities to advance progress in science, with a lack of representation in decision-making spaces and in shaping the region’s green and digital transitions. 

To address this gap, the UNESCO Office in Venice, in cooperation with the Environmental Center for Development Education and Networking (EDEN), is jointly organising a regional workshop, taking place on 19-20 November 2025 in Tirana, Albania.

During the event, youth representatives from South-East Europe will co-create actionable recommendations that highlight how they can meaningfully engage in Science Technology and Innovation, climate, and environmental policy processes across the region, especially ahead of COP30. 

Through interactive sessions, participants will collaborate to achieve the following expected outcomes: 

• Mapped opportunities for youth engagement in STI and environmental policy processes in South-East Europe
• Analysis of opportunities for youth arising from Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) in the fields of innovation, green and digital transition, and entrepreneurship, highlighting the integration of youth perspective into S3 implementation
• Successful case studies demonstrating examples of youth innovation and inspirational initiatives from Biosphere Reserves, Geoparks, and IHP projects
• Translation of United Nations and UNESCO recommendations on meaningful youth engagement into practical, actionable steps tailored to the South-East Europe context
• Facilitation and tools to practice and enable already a pro-active engagement through the designing and disclosure of Youth Perspective for COP30