Sustainability
Our commitment to sustainable development
Sustainability has been an important aspect of YFU’s activities since our inception. At Youth For Understanding, we believe that building a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world begins with empowered individuals. That’s why our mission - advancing intercultural understanding through educational exchanges - naturally aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Through our programs, we advance quality education (SDG 4), promote peace and inclusion (SDG 16), and reduce inequalities (SDG 10). Our work also contributes to multiple additional UN SDGs. By integrating sustainability across our operations - from environmental initiatives to social responsibility - and by forming strategic partnerships, YFU is proud to support the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, not just in words, but in daily actions around the globe.
With 45 member organizations across 6 continents, YFU forms a truly global network united by a collective commitment to the SDGs, through our YFU Sustainable Development Policy. This global reach enables us to amplify our impact: local actions in diverse contexts add up to meaningful, coordinated progress toward global goals.
YFU’s Sustainable Development Policy
In 2025, the YFU network adopted a binding YFU Sustainable Development Policy, encompassing five Key Sustainability Objectives. By making Sustainable Development not only an important part but a foundation of YFU’s activities, we contribute to the empowerment of active and engaged citizens of one world who will shape the future of our planet in a sustainable way. YFU not only provides members of our community with a better understanding of the world but also with tools for engaging with their community more proactively, in line with the UN SDGs.
YFU’s Key Sustainability Objectives
Through our five KSOs, we focus our efforts on selected SDGs hence contributing to nine of the seventeen UN SDGs. However, our sustainable development activities have an indirect positive impact on several of the remaining SDGs.
1. Our educational offer for exchange students and host families fosters inclusive, peaceful, and just societies
We cultivate democratic values, promote social inclusion, and enhance conflict resolution skills by empowering individuals with knowledge on democratic competences, human rights, and constructive communication.
Within the spectrum of the UN SDGs, YFU focuses on topics close to our DNA where we have skills and competencies to ensure genuine empowerment, in particular:
- Interpersonal skills, intercultural communication and personal development
- Equality, bias and stereotypes
- Democratic culture and human rights
- Conflict resolution and peacebuilding
- Active citizenship and volunteering
We continuously review and improve our educational & support offering to ensure that these topics are not just elements among others but receive a substantial share of attention of the YFU community.
To cover SDGs beyond these core topics (e.g. environmental issues), we work together with partners with complementing skillsets.
Specific actions:
- Our Educational Goals form the basis of the educational content for all our program participants and volunteers as well as guide our approach to program support.
- Our Learning Outcomes for Orientation Programs (LOOP) framework establishes YFU-wide the subjects and methods of the series of orientations that YFU program participant attend throughout their exchange experience. These orientations are a core tool to achieve the educational impact we strive for in YFU and they go far beyond what most exchange providers offer.
2. We strengthen our volunteers’ capacity for global awareness and civic responsibility
We equip our volunteers with abilities, skills and knowledge to address pressing global issues, including challenges to democracy, climate change, economic and social inequalities, and various forms of discrimination.
By fostering a deep understanding of these challenges and promoting active engagement locally and globally, we empower volunteers to drive action within the YFU community, contributing to global efforts for sustainable development and social justice.
Specific actions:
Our Global Volunteer Structure aspires to enhance volunteer engagement and volunteer career paths, guidance and recognition, both locally and globally. By connecting staff members, global governance and key volunteers globally, we empower volunteers to drive action within the YFU community, contributing to global efforts for sustainable development in service of YFU's goals and mission.
3. We embed social responsibility as a foundation of sustainable development of our staff and volunteers
Sustainability is not only about environmental impact — it’s also about the way we treat people. Our commitment to social responsibility is deeply woven into our operations, ensuring that our global network of staff and volunteers thrives in a culture of respect, equity, and ethical conduct. Our global Social Responsibility Policy encapsulates this.
We also uphold rigorous privacy and data protection standards, recognizing that trust and transparency are essential to sustainable development.
By integrating these principles into our daily work, we lead by example — creating a workplace and community that reflects the inclusive, ethical, and people-centered future we strive to build.
Specific actions:
- Through our Universal Code of Conduct, we promote inclusive behavior, prevent abuse and harassment, and foster a safe and empowering environment for all. All staff and volunteers receive onboarding and annual training on the UCC, privacy policies, and ethical standards to ensure consistent understanding and application.
- Every YFU Member Organization has a Delegate for Safe Communication, offering a confidential and neutral space for addressing concerns and upholding our values.
- Regular wellbeing surveys help us listen, learn, and improve. Anonymous annual surveys assess the emotional and professional wellbeing of staff and volunteers, guiding improvements in HR practices and organizational culture.
4. We enhance environmental sustainability across our value chain
We commit to minimizing our environmental impact in all aspects of our operations. This includes adopting sustainable practices in mobility, reducing waste and energy consumption, and ensuring ethical standards in partnerships and supply chains.
- Travel: we implement measures to reduce our travel-related carbon footprint as much as possible. Where carbon emissions are unavoidable, we offset our footprint ensuring that every student journey supports meaningful climate action..
- Operations: each YFU office worldwide pledges to implement environmentally friendly practices for its operations as much as possible and reduce resource consumption substantially. This includes energy efficiency, sustainable sourcing and waste reduction.
Specific actions:
- Recognizing the impact of travel, which is inevitable in the context of our programs, we apply a Carbon Offsetting Program for all student exchange travel. This includes a flat carbon offset contribution per program participant based on the actual carbon emission produced by YFU students in one program year. These contributions are directed to certified, high-quality carbon offset projects recognized and promoted by the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform to ensure transparency, credibility, and measurable climate benefit. We actively promote bus or train travel alternatives where feasible, to reduce emissions at the source.
- YFU Member Organizations also commit to greener operations, including energy efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable sourcing. Each YFU organization worldwide has a designated Green Advocate who promotes and oversees the green initiatives in YFU offices and activities of the organization. Additionally, YFU established a Green Champion Initiative: an annual competition to recognize the most sustainable YFU organization. Member organizations showcase their green initiatives and improvements; a committee evaluates and selects the Green Champion of the year.
How our Carbon Offset Program works:
Starting with the 2026 program year, all YFU exchange students contribute a flat-rate fee which is included in their program price to offset the emissions generated by their travel. The fee is calculated using a global travel matrix that estimates YFU’s annual emissions based on actual travel routes and distances of the previous program year and draws on recognized platforms to determine the amount of compensation. Collected by the YFU Global Office via the national YFU organizations, the funds are then pooled and annually allocated to projects recognized by the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform, which supports high-impact, certified projects around the world, such as renewable energy, reforestation, and community-based climate resilience.
In addition to compensating unavoidable emissions, YFU also actively promotes lower-emission alternatives, such as bus or train travel, wherever feasible.
Through this program, YFU ensures that the life-changing experience of cultural exchange contributes to a more climate-conscious and sustainable world.
5. We establish local and global partnerships focusing on Sustainable Development
YFU is a youth exchange organization with an educational ambition, and this will remain the core and focus of our activities; however, we cooperate with strategic partners to broaden our coverage of sustainability topics, which YFU cannot deliver with its own resources and skillset.
By adding the complementary capabilities, experiences, and networks of partners, we further enhance our impact on sustainable development without losing focus on our core strengths.
"Sustainability is not a single achievement; it is a continuous journey."
We are aware that our contributions can only make a small difference. But we believe that every action matters and we want to inspire others. We are committed to learning, improving, and collaborating with all members of our community to build a stronger, more sustainable future.
Join us as we create positive impact!
