he YPACT project, YOUTH PArticipation in Cross-border cooperation for susTainable development financed by the Cooperation Programme Interreg Italy-Croatia 2021-2027, has the ambition to promote integrated governance for stronger cooperation within young  people.

There is growing recognition that young people need dedicated support and attention to navigate today’s complexities and fulfil their potential. International bodies such as the European Union, the United Nations, and the Council of Europe highlight the importance of addressing youth needs, using the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding framework.

While youth participation in territorial cooperation is on the rise (through initiatives such as Interreg Volunteering Youth, Youth4Cooperation, Cross-Border Ambassadors, and the EUSAIR Youth Council), public decision-making processes often remain exclusive, with limited youth involvement in policy discussions. The absence of platforms for youth expression and the lack of their inclusion in decision-making are evident in decisions that rarely reflect the views and needs of young people.

YOUTHPACT is designed to operate within the guiding policy framework of the UN Agenda 2030, actively promoting and strengthening youth participation in Italy-Croatia cross-border cooperation governance, aiming to ensure that young people are meaningfully involved in shaping policies that affect their futures.

YOUTHPACT promotes cross-border solidarity, enhances territorial cohesion, and contributes to building a new generation of civic-minded, empowered youth ready to shape the future of the Italy–Croatia Programme area.

YOUTHPACT specifically addresses the democratic participation gap by fostering youth engagement in cross-border multi-level governance to promote more inclusive and effective sustainable development in Italy and Croatia. The project aims to empower young people as active contributors to regional development and decision-making processes, promoting their rights and roles as key actors in advancing the sustainable development of the IT-HR cooperation area.

By creating spaces for youth policy dialogue and co-creation, YOUTHPACT strengthens the capacity of local public authorities to implement youth-inclusive governance models, providing them with a practical tool that can be replicated and scaled beyond the project’s scope.

The project supports solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

particularly those related to the circular economy. As an horizontal principle, an effort will be placed on guaranteeing gender equality, ensuring equal representation and active participation of young women and men in all phases of the project.