BACKGROUND:
Global health governance remains shaped by inequities of age, geography, power, and access. While young people in Africa are recognized as innovators and implementers in public health, they remain underrepresented in decision-making spaces where priorities, policies, and resources are determined. Youth participation is often uneven, tokenistic, and rarely assessed through accountability frameworks. This interactive workshop, co-facilitated by youth-led networks, the Young WFPHA, GHNGN, IWGHSS and Africa CDC Youth Programme, positions young professionals as active governance actors. Participants engage critically with global health decision-making, using institutional frameworks such as the Africa CDC Youth Engagement and Participation in Global Health Strategy (2025–2028, Yes!Health) and evidence from the IWGHSS Youth and Global Health Governance Report as tools to inform accountability, while contributing their own perspectives and experiences to co-create actionable recommendations.

METHODS:
Through participatory approaches, including facilitated discussions, group-based analysis, and practical exercises, participants examine power dynamics, governance structures, and pathways for meaningful youth inclusion at local, regional, and global levels. The session models shared leadership across networks and institutions, empowering youth to navigate governance spaces and apply accountability indicators in practice.

RESULTS:
Participants enhance their ability to analyze decision-making processes, assess institutional commitments, and identify barriers to meaningful youth participation. Outputs include youth-led governance insights, co-created recommendations, and actionable strategies to strengthen transparency, equity, and accountability in health governance.

CONCLUSIONS:
Youth-led international public health networks play a critical role in challenging inequities and advancing equity-driven governance reforms regionally and globally. Convened and facilitated by these networks and generating contextual perspectives, this workshop transforms youth engagement in global health governance from symbolic participation to informed, evidence-based influence. It strengthens youth capacity to hold institutions accountable and contributes to more transparent, equitable, and youth-inclusive governance systems.