On International Youth Day 2026, the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) joins the global community in celebrating the world's young people and reaffirming the transformative power of sport in helping them realise their aspirations.
This year's theme – Different Contexts, Common Aspirations – resonates deeply with ISSA's mission. Across the 57 member states of the ISSA community, young people's lives are shaped by vastly different national and local realities.
Sport is one of the most powerful vehicles for delivering on their hopes for dignity, opportunity, quality education, meaningful participation and a sustainable future.
ISSA’s member nations are home to 29% of the world's youth population. Many of these young people live in contexts that present overlapping challenges, including limited economic opportunity, geographic isolation and unequal access to education and technology. It is precisely in these contexts that sport can play its most meaningful role, building resilience, fostering leadership and opening doors that might otherwise remain closed.
ISSA's Forward through Sport program was created with this in mind. Launched at the ISSA General Assembly in December 2024, the program brings together stakeholders from across member countries to facilitate the exchange of best practices, develop context-specific sport policies and establish governance structures that support the long-term sustainability of sport development initiatives.
Forward through Sport is building the foundations for sport to serve as a genuine engine of youth development across the ISSA community. As part of this, in July 2026, ISSA launched a new Resource Mobilization initiative, equipping its 57 National Olympic Committees with practical tools and regular insights to strengthen their capacity to identify funding opportunities and finance sport development at the national level.
By helping member countries access the resources they need, ISSA is working to ensure that geography is no barrier to young people’s ability to participate in and benefit from sport.
On this International Youth Day, ISSA reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that sport reaches every young person across its community, regardless of where they come from or the challenges they face. The aspirations of young people across the world are clear, and ISSA is determined to help make them a reality.
