From 14 – 17 June 2026, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) proudly participated in the World Youth Development Forum (WYDF) 2026, organised by the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF) in Wuhan, China.
Organised since 2022, the WYDF is an international forum that brings together young people from around the global to discuss and contribute to global development and efforts towards a more sustainable future. This year, the World Youth Development Forum 2026 convened over 500 youth from over 120 countries world-wide in Wuhan, China under the relevant theme of ‘Youth Drive Development for a Better Future’.
Ms Linnea REGNELL, Senior Project Executive in the Education Department at ASEF represented the Foundation and engaged in dialogue with international youth representatives and senior officials working to promote youth development in China and the world.
ASEF Youth Leaders Represented
The World Youth Development Forum 2026 also concluded the 2026 Acceleration Week for Global Youth Development Programs, which took place between 11-17 June in Shanghai and Wuhan, China. The Acceleration week is an initiative organised by the All-China Youth Federation together with UN agencies and youth organisations to promote the Action Plan for Global Youth Development, proposed by China’s President XI Jinping in 2022.
This year, the Acceleration week selected 200 youth development programs from 79 countries, including 150 international programmes and 50 local Chinese programmes. Divided into 8 clusters:
- Technological Innovation and Application
- Volunteerism and Poverty Reduction
- Green Development
- Artificial Intelligence+
- Lifelong Learning and Upskilling
- Trendy Culture and Youth Community
- Good Health and Well-being
- Sustainable Production
ASEF was delighted to nominate four outstanding youth leaders to join the programme and share their expertise from their projects:
- Annika Doreen MAURER (Intercultural Connections); ASEFYLS Capacity Buildings 2024 Alumna, Hungary cohort.
- Jaseel Charuvil KUNNUMAL (The Ignite Foundation); ASEFYLS Capacity Buildings 2024 Alumnus, China cohort.
- Alid Hasan AKASH (Bangladesh Innovation Forum); ASEFYLS Capacity Buildings 2024 Alumnus, China cohort.
- Tergel ODGEREL; (Phronesis Enterprises); 4th ASEM Rectors’ Conference and Students’ Forum (ARC4) Alumnus
- Rene NEUMANN; (European Guanxi); 5th ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS5) Alumnus.
- Jin TADA; (UNISC International); 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS6) Alumnus.
- TRANG Phuong Bui (YBOX.VN); 1st ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS1) Alumna
- Yik Wai CHEE (Grafilab); 4th ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS4) Alumnus
These youth leaders actively contributed to workshops and sessions, sharing best practices and advocating for transformative action in youth development. Congratulations to Mr Jaseel Charuvil KUNNUMAL who contributed as a speaker at the Thematic Forum on Volunteerism and Poverty Reduction about his initiative – School for Social Change in India, as part of Khoj.
About WYDF
The World Youth Development Forum (WYDF), initiated in 2022, remains a global platform for dialogue among policymakers, youth leaders, and stakeholders, prioritising youth development and encouraging their participation in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future. The forum aimed to advocate for placing youth development at the heart of national and global agendas, to share knowledge and best practices on youth participation in sustainable development, to empower and accelerate youth actions through innovative and collaborative solutions for advancing the SDGs and the Global Development Initiative, and to build networks and communities that foster youth partnerships and solidarity. Learn more about the forum here.