Lord Fakafanua Joins 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum as Panelist on Youth Participation in Policymaking

Lord Fakafanua, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga and Representative of the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians, took part in the 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This year’s forum, focused on “Meaningful Youth Participation in Policymaking and Decision-Making,” brought together youth from around the world to explore ways to enhance youth engagement in global and national policymaking processes.

Lord Fakafanua took part in an interactive panel discussion, where he shared his journey from being a young Member of Parliament to becoming the youngest Speaker in Tonga’s History. He also asked to discuss his global work, particularly with the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians, which unites young MPs worldwide to promote youth involvement in national parliaments and the activities of the IPU.

During the discussion, the moderator, Ms. Chaimae Robani from Morocco, asked Lord Fakafanua to share a successful example of youth engagement in policymaking, specifically drawing from his work and experience with the Tonga Youth Parliament.

The panel discussion concluded with a focus on actionable strategies to enhance youth participation in the future. The discussion was based on the IPU’s research and sharing of good practices, highlighting 5 key actions that are most effective in increasing youth participation in parliaments, now part of the IPU’s ‘I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!’ Campaign. These include

• Promoting youth quotas.
• Aligning the age of eligibility to run for office with the voting ag
• Building youth channels in parliament, such as youth caucuses and committees.
• Mentoring young aspirants.
• Empowering young parliamentarians already in office.

The 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum offered a valuable platform for young people to engage in a dialogue with Member States and other stakeholders, enabling them to share their views, concerns, and actionable recommendations for creating a fairer, greener, and more sustainable world in alignment with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The three-day event will included plenary sessions as well as interactive thematic and regional breakout sessions. These provided opportunities for in-depth discussions on advancing the 2030 Agenda, implementing the Pact for the Future, and contributing to key intergovernmental processes in 2025, including the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development and the Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD).