JCI Joins Youth at the Table: A Preview of the First-Ever UN Youth Townhall

On 25 September 2026, Junior Chamber International (JCI) was honored to join the United Nations Youth Office and the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations as a partner at Youth at the Table: A Preview of the First-Ever UN Youth Townhall. The high-level side event was held on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York, three months before the Townhall opens in Heidelberg, Germany.

Taking place from 8 to 10 December 2026 and co-hosted with Germany and the City of Heidelberg, the UN Youth Townhall will bring together around 1,000 young people, Member States, UN entities and civil society partners. Its goal is to give young people a stronger voice in global governance.

The side event offered an engaging first look at what is to come. Ambassadors, youth delegates, National Youth Focal Points and youth-led organizations gathered to preview the Townhall's format and explore how they can take part.

Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs and Head of the UN Youth Office,   opened the programme by highlighting the cooperation between the UN Youth Office and the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations in advancing meaningful youth engagement.

Following a presentation of the UN Youth Townhall by the UN Youth Office, Ishaan Shah, Global Lead Next Generation Fellow at the United Nations Foundation, moderated an interactive conversation. The panel brought together Zaviska K. Lamsberg, JCI Vice President, America, representing Junior Chamber International; Shamah Bulangis, UN Youth Office Reference Group member and Advocacy Coordinator at MenEngage; Katharina Ahrendts, Director-General for Global Order, the United Nations and Humanitarian Assistance at the German Federal Foreign Office; and Assistant Secretary-General Felipe Paullier.

For JCI, participating in this panel was an opportunity to bring the perspectives and experience of its global network into the conversation. Zaviska K. Lamsberg highlighted how JCI’s young leaders and Local Organizations can carry the ideas emerging from Heidelberg into communities worldwide, adapt them to local realities, and transform them into meaningful action. She also emphasized the importance of creating spaces that bring the wider youth ecosystem together, enabling meaningful cross-sector conversations that can lead to concrete and collaborative action.

The conversation demonstrated why partnership matters. When governments, young people, the United Nations, civil society, the private sector, and researchers work together, ideas can travel further and create greater impact. As a partner of the UN Youth Office, JCI is ready to help strengthen these connections and sustain their momentum long after the UN Youth Townhall concludes.

Following an open-floor discussion with questions and ideas from the audience, ASG Felipe Paullier and a representative of the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations closed the session with a clear call to action: engage now and help shape the journey to Heidelberg together.

JCI is proud to stand alongside the UN Youth Office on the road to Heidelberg. For young people around the world, this partnership creates meaningful opportunities to connect, lead, collaborate, and turn their ideas into lasting impact.

Learn more about it here.