In 1998, the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth recommended the annual celebration of International Youth Day. The following year, International Youth Day was endorsed by the UN Assembly and the commemorative day has been celebrated each year on August 12 ever since.
In keeping with the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this year the theme for International Youth Day is The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production, focusing on the leading role young people can play in this.
The UN mission statement for this year reads: "The development and promotion of individual choices and actions that increase the eco-efficiency of consumption of all and minimise waste and pollution is critical to achieving equitable socioeconomic development."