The ILO joins efforts with youth leaders to shape the AI-driven future world of work

Wuhan, Hubei (ILO News) - The 2026 World Youth Development Forum (WYDF) was held in Wuhan, Hubei Province on 15-17 June, themed with ‘Youth Drive Development for a Better World’. The WYDF is hosted annually by the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF), the Organizing Committee of the WYDF and the United Nations System in China. The ILO is the UN supporting partner of the Forum.

On 16 June, the Thematic Forum on AI and Youth Empowerment gathered over 300 participants from 120 countries, including heads of youth organizations, youth leaders, and core members of youth initiatives, to conduct in-depth exchanges on AI advancement, innovative industrial upgrading, and youth employment and skilling in the AI era.

In the opening remarks, Deputy Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, Xiaochu DAI noted that the world is undergoing a period of profound transition, with AI already permeating many aspects of people’s lives. While this technological shift brings unprecedented opportunities for youth development, it also presents new challenges. He called on young people to proactively engage in the design and governance of AI, striving to be co-creators rather than followers in the AI era, and to steer technological advancement toward social good with their strengths. he also highlighted that AI can unlock new pathways for young people to innovate, enhance productivity, and access decent work. It can transcend borders to connect talents to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To put youth at the forefront of the AI revolution and reduce the AI gap, Mr. Dai stressed four action areas:

• Equip youth with comprehensive capabilities including AI skills and critical, creative, and social-emotional capabilities for responsible use of technology;
• Leverage AI to expand pathways to decent work, ensuring that innovation goes hand in hand with job quality, fair wages, social protection, and respect for fundamental principles and rights at work;
• Bridge the digital divide, guaranteeing equitable access to AI benefits for all young people, irrespective of birthplace, gender, or urban-rural disparities;
• Support youth entrepreneurship, empowering young people to play an active role in shaping the intelligent economy.

No country can manage the AI transition alone. The challenges are global, and the solutions must be grounded in solidarity, cooperation and shared responsibility, and ensure AI serves to empower young people and benefit the world.

Xiaochu DAI, Deputy Director of ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia

During the keynote speeches session, Sher Singh Verick, Acting Deputy Chief Economist of the ILO noted that the global youth unemployment rate is approximately three times that of adults, underscoring the urgent need to focus on NEETs​ (young people not in employment, education, or training) and the quality of jobs. While acknowledging the anxieties sparked by AI, he emphasized that history demonstrates technological change typically drives a gradual transformation of jobs​ rather than their mass disappearance. He urged policymakers to address AI-related challenges by integrating skills development with social protection, rights protection, tripartite social dialogue, and data governance. This holistic approach, he concluded, is essential to ensuring more inclusive policies and achieving multi-dimensional collaborative governance.

© ILO

© ILO

On 16 June, UN China Theme Group on Youth hosted a WYDF side event titled ‘Partnering with Young People for Sustainable Development’.

© ILO

© ILO

The side event brought together Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, representatives of Chinese and international young leaders, delegates from the ACYF, and heads of UN agencies in China. Participants engaged in an interactive dialogue focused on the global youth agenda, youth priorities, and practical pathways to deepen youth-UN cooperation through the platform of the WYDF. During the session, Yuenying CHE, ILO youth representative, delivered a systematic overview of the ILO’s long-standing youth empowerment initiatives in China, particularly in advancing youth employment, entrepreneurship, and skills development.

Since its inauguration in 2022, the WYDF serves as a pivotal platform for global youth to contribute to sustainable development and for the international community to champion youth development. As a committed UN partner of the Forum since its inception, the ILO has provided substantive inputs into the drafting of the Forum’s guiding frameworks and outcome documents. Working in close collaboration with the ACYF, the ILO has spearheaded a series of forums and exchange activities across key areas including employment and entrepreneurship, skills development, digital development, and technology innovation, to empower youth for sustainable development.