UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNGIYF) — Forum / Summit

The UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum is the only high-level UN forum built specifically for Indigenous youth. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations convenes it every two years together with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, the working caucus of Indigenous youth leaders recognized inside the UN system. It grew out of the 2017 Rome Statement on the Contribution of Indigenous Youth Towards a World Without Hunger, which the Caucus produced with FAO support.

Delegates from the seven UN sociocultural regions come together to speak with FAO member governments, UN agencies, universities and Indigenous organizations about food and knowledge systems, biodiversity, ecosystem restoration and climate change. The second session filled FAO headquarters in Rome from 16 to 20 October 2023 with 186 Indigenous youth from 54 countries. The third session has been pushed to the second half of 2026, and applications are open while FAO settles the dates and the location.

Benefits & funding

FAO pays travel and attendance costs for the applicants it selects for sponsorship.
Sponsorship money is limited, so FAO awards it only to the strongest applications.
Indigenous youth who raise their own funding or find outside sponsorship may attend as well.
Delegates get direct floor time with FAO member governments, UN agencies, researchers and Indigenous organizations from all seven sociocultural regions.
The 2023 session ran five days, 16–20 October, and brought together 186 Indigenous youth from 54 countries; the length of the 2026 session has not been announced.

Eligibility

Applicants self-identify as Indigenous in accordance with international criteria.
Applicants are between 18 and 30 years old.
Applicants may come from any of the seven UN sociocultural regions.
FAO publishes no education, nationality or residency requirement.
The selection committee looks for practical work on Indigenous Peoples’ food and knowledge systems, biodiversity, ecosystem restoration or climate change.
Geographical and gender balance shape the final selection; neither is an eligibility bar.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

Age requirement
18–30 yrs

Check my eligibility — free

Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.

We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

1
Open the current call for applications on FAO’s UNGIYF page.
2
Fill in the online application form linked from that call.
3
Answer each question with direct, action-oriented examples of work already done, staying inside the stated word limits.
4
Submit the form; the UNGIYF Selection Committee reviews applications and FAO contacts those chosen for sponsorship.

Program timeline

II Session at FAO headquarters in Rome, the most recent completed cycle.
16–20 October 2023
Open now
applications for the III Session are accepted; FAO publishes no closing date.
III Session takes place; dates and host location to be announced.
Second half of 2026