Youth & the SDGs - Preparing for ECOSOC Youth Forum Day 3, on the SDG Summit

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

My name is Persis Ramirez, I am a water professional from the Dominican Republic with over 5 years of experience overseeing projects and programs related to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Caribbean region. I have supported project portfolios that address water issues crosscutting with environmental pollution, gender, and climate change. I am an active volunteer with water and climate international networks (International Water Association, Water Youth Network and UN1FY), participating in initiatives that center on youth, water, and climate.

As an IWA-Grundfos Youth Action for SDG6 Fellow I engage with key water stakeholders, in a range of activities, more specifically in international fora such as the upcoming UN Water Conference. From the participation in these spaces, I contribute to highlighting the role of young people in the implementation of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. Additionally, as a fellow, I am developing and contributing with range of publications and solutions that support the achievement of SDG6.

As a 2023 Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador I engage with fellow ambassadors and other stakeholders in the climate space to advocate effectively for climate action and environmental sustainability. Moreover, I am developing three different climate-related projects in my community, to increase youth engagement in water and climate change decision making and to raise awareness about the role of gender in water management.

Challenges and opportunities to accelerate progress with young people in the driving seat

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

First and foremost, there is this huge gap of young representation in high level decision-making. Only 2.6% of the world’s parliamentarians are under 30 years old, which means that the needs and interests of young people are not properly represented whenever policies are being discussed.

There is limited resources mobilization for young people, and this affects the capacity of accessing financial resources to increase the impact of youth-led interventions.

Greater efforts are to be made to have a balanced and diverse representation of young people, especially people from marginalized and remote communities.

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

In the water space, led by the International Secretariat for Water, youth worldwide are advocating for a series of demands through the Fill Up The Glass Campaign, from which I find the following two demands as relevant opportunities in this context:

1. The creation of an inclusive and permanent body within the United Nations to address water challenges and the nomination of a UN Youth Envoy on Water.
2. The implementation of dedicated funding for community-based water solutions led by youth.

Looking ahead - youth recommendations in the lead up to the SDG Summit

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

• Allocating funds to financially support youth-led initiatives.
• Including young people in consultative and decision-making processes.
• Fostering a diverse and balanced inclusion of young people in initiatives that bridge the existing generational gap, for example mentorship programs.

5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

• By allocating funds specifically for the mobilization of youth, to guarantee that young people from remote, impoverished and marginalized communities are present to actively engage in the achievement of the SDGs.
• By creating youth and diversity quotas in academia and career paths. 

6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

My personal key message to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit is to highlight to UN Member States the need to include young people in the acceleration of action for clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) and to explore partnerships to maximize solutions that crosscut water and climate.

I plan to partake in other consultations and pre-conference proceedings leading to inform the SDG Summit. I hope to attend the Summit if resources become available to support my participation.

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

I am Oyin Olufayo, a Law student at the University of South Wales.

Prior to my legal education, I pursued a Bachelor's degree in English and International Relations from Osun State University, Nigeria.

Subsequently, I obtained a certificate in Public Policy and Leadership from the School of Politics, Policy and Governance, Abuja, Nigeria. 

Over the last three years, I have worked with state governments, nonprofit organizations, and private sector actors to promote inclusive societies and equal economic opportunities for all.

Young people play a critical role in driving the implementation, monitoring, and review of the SDGs. They are an important stakeholder group and are often disproportionately affected by the challenges.

During my work as a Policy Analyst at Delta State Ministry of Youth Development, Nigeria. I focused on localizing the SDGs and supporting efforts of governments to promote youth inclusion, representation, and participation.
Through my work, I have supported the development of policies and programs that promote youth participation in decision-making processes at all levels. I have also worked to promote the inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable youth, including young people with disabilities, and youth from indigenous communities.

Earlier this year, I launched my company, Gesego games. Our focus is on bridging the gap between people and development using innovative games. 

We believe that games can be a powerful tool for promoting education, awareness, and engagement around the SDGs.

Our flagship game, Seventeen, is an interactive game that takes players on a journey through the SDGs. Through the game, players learn about the the five pillars of SDGs, goals, targets, and indicators of the SDGs and are encouraged to take action in their own lives to support the achievement of the goals.

The SDG-driven game product, Seventeen is now being played across 3 countries, including Nigeria, Canada, and the United Kingdom while people are getting awareness about SDG in the most unconventional way.

We are also working on other games and interactive tools that promote education, awareness, and engagement around the 17 SDGs.
Our goal is to use innovative approaches to make the SDGs more accessible and engaging for everyone, including young people. 

We believe that by making the SDGs more accessible and engaging, we can help to drive greater action and progress towards achieving the goals.

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

As a young person and through my work with youth organizations, I have identified several challenges and barriers that can hinder the effective implementation of SDGs. These challenges include:

Firstly, we lack the financial resources, technical expertise, and networks necessary to undertake significant SDG-related initiatives. The lack of resources can also make it difficult to sustain projects over the long term.

Secondly, young people are often excluded from decision-making processes, especially at the policy level, which can limit their ability to influence the direction of SDG-related initiatives. This exclusion can stem from systemic barriers such as age discrimination, lack of access to political networks and opportunities, or simply a lack of recognition of the value of youth perspectives and voices.

Lastly, there is a lack of reliable data and indicators to measure progress towards the SDGs can make it challenging to assess the effectiveness of initiatives and to track progress towards achieving the goals.

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

In my specific context, there are several key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review.

Firstly, governments and organizations should promote youth participation by creating opportunities for youth to engage in decision-making processes at all levels. This includes establishing youth advisory boards or councils and engaging youth in the design, implementation, and monitoring of policies and programs related to the SDGs.

Secondly, youth networks and organizations should provide a platform for young people to engage with the SDGs and take action towards achieving them.

They can serve as a conduit for young people's voices to be heard and for their ideas to be integrated into policy and decision-making processes.

Lastly, organizations can provide financial, technical, and other resources to support youth-led initiatives focused on SDG implementation. This can include funding for innovative solutions, capacity-building support, and access to networks and expertise.

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

• Strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships
•  Providing capacity-building support.
• Strengthening data and evidence on youth issues.
• Promoting youth participation in decision-making processes.
• Investing in youth-led initiatives.

5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?
 

Firstly, by developing localized strategies that take into account the specific needs, aspirations, and challenges faced by young people from marginalized communities. This includes strategies that address gender, disability, ethnicity, and other forms of marginalization.

Secondly, Addressing structural barriers that prevent young people from marginalized communities from engaging in SDG-related activities. This includes barriers related to education, employment, access to information, and discrimination.

Lastly, by ensuring that young people from marginalized communities are represented and have opportunities to participate in decision-making processes related to SDG implementation, monitoring, and review. This includes participation in local and national consultations, planning processes, and monitoring and review mechanisms.

6 What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

As a young person and founder of Gesego Games, my key message and recommendation to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit are to recognize the power of innovation, particularly the use of games, in advancing youth engagement and awareness of the SDGs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more crucial to use innovative approaches to promote awareness and engagement around the SDGs, as traditional means of communication and outreach may be limited. The use of games as a tool for innovation can help to bridge the gap between people and development by making the SDGs more accessible and engaging for everyone, including young people.

To further support youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit, we are committed to working with relevant stakeholders, including government, UN entities, development partners, youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector to ensure that young people are meaningfully engaged and represented at all levels of decision-making processes.

We also recommend the inclusion of youth-led initiatives and innovations, such as Gesego Games' Seventeen, in the SDG Summit's agenda and discussions, as these can provide valuable insights and perspectives on how best to advance the implementation of the SDGs.

Finally, we urge all stakeholders to recognize the importance of investing in youth-led initiatives and providing the necessary resources, support, and funding to ensure their success. This will not only benefit young people, but also contribute to the overall achievement of the SDGs.

Young people’s positive role in driving SDG implementation, monitoring and review 

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

I am Yemi Faleti, a 23 year old creative innovation leader and strategist based in Virginia, USA. I am president of creative innovation agency, Videre Worldwide, and have 6 years of experience leading multimedia initiatives as well as overseeing brand strategy in order to address issues of youth and POC underrepresentation in leadership positions, as well as the lack of access to resources such as funding, mentorship and employment opportunities.

I actively provide pro bono consulting services to organizations, start ups, and artists regarding how to drive SDG’s 3,4,5,8, and 9, as well as how to codify those SDG’s into their operations and processes. In addition, I am working with my team to develop strategic partnerships across sectors that will allow shared expertise and talent, as well as foster innovation in the realm of creative technology and intellectual property.

As a former member of Universal Music Group’s Youth Task Force for Meaningful Change, I helped drive initiatives regarding diversity, equity and inclusion in the entertainment industry as well as voting and social justice initiatives geared towards the 18-24 year old demographic.

Challenges and opportunities to accelerate progress with young people in the driving seat

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

I have been privileged to spend my earliest years traveling between the USA, Europe, and Nigeria, and one thing that stands out to me in the midst of my travels is something that I experienced when growing up in Baltimore. I had the realization that in many underserved and underrepresented communities, a lot of the youth are not aware that the opportunities exist for them to have a lasting impact on this world, so they perpetually dwell within the boundaries of what is expected of them, whether that be a life of crime or something less menacing, but still restrictive,  like being a musician or athlete.

Throughout my time taking action on SDG’s, I have noticed that there are several barriers and challenges that my peers and I have faced, but in our context, these challenges typically fall into one or more of four categories: 

• Lack of expertise, mentorship, and upward mobility opportunities
• Funding deficits, especially for POC and other minorities.
• Lack of access to a central database of like-minded communities across other states or regions.
• Lack of access to software, hardware, and other tech-driven resources for entrepreneurship, arts, and mobilization efforts.
   

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context?

In my specific context of creative innovation and brand strategy & experience, there are a few key opportunities that I have identified:

• Broader access to mentorship programs via strategic partnerships in the public and private sectors. By implementing and supporting SDG driven programs at the high school and collegiate level, there is the opportunity to instill young leaders with necessary foundations of executive presence, strategic thinking, and access to resources and networks that otherwise would not be accessible.
• A focus on partnerships with organizations within the entertainment, arts and lifestyle sectors in order to develop a pipeline of experienced and technically skilled youth leaders that can support the realization of SDG’s at their respective levels. 

Looking ahead - youth recommendations in the lead up to the SDG Summit

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

In order to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people, we can focus on a few things:

• Partnership with startup accelerator programs to foster innovation and mentorship on an entrepreneurial level, particularly in underserved communities
• Continue to seek out youth voices across creative disciplines for added perspective on how arts and culture intersect with the attainment of SDG’s
• Increased funding for Study Abroad programs at the collegiate level to enhance the global perspective of youth leaders.
• Initiatives that invest in housing and holistic wellness in underserved communities. It is difficult to focus on global or even local impact when one is in “survival mode.”

5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

• Partnership with local school systems to provide access to mentorship and resources, particularly in high-opportunity communities.
• Identify current youth leaders that are making an impact and provide resources, whether by way of finances or expertise, that allow them to amplify their impact.
• Implement initiatives focused on experiential learning, allowing the youth to visualize the impact of mobilization and advocacy.
• Retain young people as consultants in order to broaden the UN scope of local nuance.
   

6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

My key recommendation to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG summit is to invest time and resources into experiential learning and programming, as well as creative strategy as a conduit for driving the actualization of SDG’s.

This includes highlighting the voices of nontraditional youth, as well as established names in the arts, culture, and entertainment sectors. This also includes crafting a holistic programming experience that immerses participants across digital and physical channels in order to promote inspired, engaged constituencies that are ready to continue mobilization.

Lastly, this includes partnership with youth-led organizations and instilling in them the expertise, access, and resources needed to continue mobilizing and leading within their local communities.

I will continue to support youth led and youth inclusive efforts and consultations that can inform the SDG summit within my network. I also plan to attend the summit. 

1 How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

My name is Maureen Oseji, a graduate of Business Administration from Ajayi Crowther University.

For over four years now I have been leading projects at Make Me Foundation in targeting the social and economic development in low income communities by providing educational support for children and carrying out skill acquisition programs for teenagers and youth to curb the increasing rate of poverty and lack of education.

Also, I lead as the Regional Head of Youth Engagement at The Development School, Africa where we have young people from over 30 countries in Africa being equipped on understanding the SDGs, guiding them on taking action in their communities to contribute to the sustainable development goals.

2 What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

Some of the challenges encountered includes 

Lack of financial support to carry out the implementation of these projects

Lack of adequate mentorship and support to empower we young people taking action

The impact is limited as resources are limited 

Lack of visibility to attract partnerships and support 

3 What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

I’d say implementation of trainings for change makers and aspiring change makers.

Access to funding to increase the impact of our work.

4 How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

First, I’d say structure should put in place to identify all youth led initiatives contributing to the SDGs. There are lots of these initiatives that lack visibility thereby making us struggle in carrying out projects.

Secondly, I’d say implementation of funding schemes  that caters for projects done that target the various SDGs

Lastly, engagement of youth in policy making and decision process

5 How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

We the youth are closer to these communities in terms of field work engagement so we have adequate knowledge on the problems facing people at the grass root level. Engaging young people in will help to take action on specific problems facing the marginalized. And continued engagement, feedback and report will also go a long way helping us know if we are making heads way in reducing the problems the SDGs targets.

6 What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

Our message is get as many young people involved as possible and engage them in discussions at every level.

Also help them see these impacts their making as a life time career path and that their voice counts.

Our development school is first of its kind in Nigeria and we will need all the support we can get.

Through this work, we will get more young people involved in taking actions on the SDGs

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

Myself Gunchaa  shandilya and I am an 18 year old global youth ambassador and young SDG advocate. I have been an active writer with agencies like UNICEFs voices of youth, Malala fund and my own organisation Theirworld. My videos can be found online on the LET ME LEARN campaign ahead of the UN transforming education summit and I have been involved with organising community meets on globally fundamental issues like water conservation, women empowerment, animal rights and refugee rights etc.

I am currently also a young refugee champion, UNHCR and have cracked the HPAIR twice in consecutive first and second attempts.

one thing that i would like to highlight about myself is the very passion that drives me towards advocacy. I feel I alone can make amends to the destruction caused to this world and being from a country like India, I see issues very closely from a personal angle which helps to advocate with greater compassion!

   2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or       identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and     network, when taking action on SDGs?

-changing people's mindsets is the biggest change I can ever encounter!

-lack of worry of world leaders and a few global governments.

-people's apprehension when it comes to organisations like global charities and NGOs.

-too much advocacy and too less of any impact.

1.How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

I am Valentine Chukwuka Mbagwu from Nigeria. I am a graduate of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at FUTO.

So far I did a research to find out why people in the rural area are poor.

My findings showed me that one of the major reasons is lack of electricity in most of the rural areas.

To solve this problem and to dominate the minds of the people in that area with renewable energy, I designed a solar energy source which was distributed to few homes in the rural areas.

Tracking the outcome, I found out that those people who received this system were able to have access to information and communication opportunities through accessing the internet because electricity source have been made available. Also in long term, it will encourage productivity and development in those areas which will reduce poverty and renewable Energy introduced.

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or       identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and     network, when taking action on SDGs?

Many a times, the people in rural areas are excluded in the equation of promoting SDGs. Also people who are genuinely doing the work of preaching SDGs are not rightly supported financially to reach out to more communities.

The little I have done so far, I used my little resources to do them and it was impactful. But because I don't have the financial support I need, I can only cover small area. We need financial support to do more.

There are a lot of organizations but few are doing what they supppose to do. Support People and organizations who are on ground in the rural areas to do impactful work that will bring the expected result not people who are only holding meetings in the city but can't go for the field work.

3 What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

The use of Technology to track every program from the field is needed. After financing a group to carry out a project that Will promote the SDG goals, they should be reporting from the field of action directly through video coverage, responses.

Also after the activities have being carried out, the group should go back after some time to see the outcomes from the people.Words must be matched with action.

5.How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

The youth from this communities must be part of organization that promote SDGs, by so doing, they will protect the interest of their communities to ensure speedy implementation of the plans.

6.What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

My advice is that to promote SDG goals, the activities must be monitored live from the field for the expected result to be made.

Also, there is need to pay more attention to the rural communities and funds must be made available to cover more communities. If I had the financial assistance, I should have covered a lot of rural communities like Orodo, ogbaku e.t.c.

Young people’s positive role in driving SDG implementation, monitoring and review 

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

Greetings, my name is Blessmore Chikwakwa from Zimbabwe, I am a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), the largest organization for women and girls with a membership of 10 million girls in 152 countries.

I also work with the World Literacy Foundation advocating for quality education. I have written four Children’s books that help children learn about the environment and education.  I work directly with girls and young women in my community and I have organized and participated in a number of campaigns on climate change, gender equality, girls’ education and violence against women and girls.

I have been a trainer of leaders and coordinated projects such as Action on Body Confidence, which supports girls and young women to take action to tackle the root causes of low body confidence and self-esteem in society. As WAGGGS Global Advocacy Champion in 2022, I got to represent WAGGGS at CSW66. In September 2022, I was part of the team that attended the UNICEF Youth  Advocacy Training of Trainers in Kenya where I worked and networked with young change-makers from across Africa.

As a young leader at Girl Guides Association of Zimbabwe, I have been involved in local climate action and connected with activists worldwide through the Climate Fringe platform. As part of ‘COP in the Community’, I organized and led a clean-up event for young girls and women which made climate action and the topic accessible in community in the lead up to COP26.

I was also selected to take part in Reboot the Future, campaign in conjunction with Unilever, to raise awareness on Gender Equality through the use of social media on the COP26 Gender Day. Watch the social media video here.

Challenges and opportunities to accelerate progress with young people in the driving seat

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

Some of the challenges I have faced include lack of support and dedication to work with the young people from decision-makers and the government. When I was a WAGGGS Advocacy Champion and CSW 66 delegate, one of my assignment was to talk to relevant ministries and decision-makers and to share with them our recommendations, I was not able to talk to any minister, it was impossible to get a meeting with them. It showed they were not willing to hear out or support young people.

Availability of up-to-date data is also a challenge, governments should do better in collecting and sharing data.
 

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

By allowing NGOs, Youth- Dedicated and Youth-Led organizations to operate with minimal distractions, it will make it easier for youth to take the lead and to take action on specific problems they face in their communities. It shouldn’t be so hard for young people to start or run their own organizations.

Allowing meaningful participation of young people by actively involving them at all stages of planning and administering of programs that involve them will go along in acknowledging the capabilities of Youths and getting rid of tokenism practices.

Looking ahead - youth recommendations in the lead up to the SDG Summit

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners, youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

There should be a lot of initiatives in place designed to help give the young people the knowledge, space and resources they need to take action to improve their communities. Young people will need mentorship, grants, courses, trainings and a platform to be heard at local, regional and global spaces.
 

5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?
    

The first step will be to identify the marginalized communities and establish the needs of the different communities. It will be best to hear from the communities and not assume the problems they face, community and church leaders can help with the gathering of information or organizing discussions and meetings. It will also be important to provide interpreter services and translations to ease communication barriers. By listening and building relationships it will be easier to understand different groups and their needs when designing facilities and other products or services. Solutions should be sought from people with lived experience.

My warm salutation to each one of you in capacity and designation, Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening.

My name is Ssemakula Brian, I am a sexual reproductive health, climate change, mental, and physical healthcare advocate with 5 years of experience. Throughout my career, I have been dedicated to promoting access to quality healthcare services for individuals and communities, with a special focus on sexual and reproductive health, climate change, mental health, and physical health.

I have worked with a variety of organizations and stakeholders, including healthcare providers, non-governmental organizations, and community groups, to advance policies and programs that promote health equity and address the root causes of health disparities. My experience includes conducting research, developing advocacy strategies, and implementing programs that improve health outcomes and enhance access to healthcare services.

I am passionate about promoting the health and well-being of all individuals, regardless of their background, and believe that everyone deserves access to high-quality healthcare services. I am committed to continuing my work as an advocate and helping to build a healthier, more equitable world for all.

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context?

In my thoughts, views and expertise, I think there are several key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in sustainable development goals (SDGs) implementation, monitoring, and review. To mention a few, but not limited to:

1. Education and Awareness: Educating and raising awareness among young people about sustainable development goals and their importance is essential. Young people need to understand the significance of SDGs and their role in achieving them. Education can take various forms, including school curriculums, extracurricular activities, and public awareness campaigns.

2. Youth Empowerment: Empowering young people to take a more active role in sustainable development is crucial. This includes providing them with the tools, resources, and support they need to lead and participate in SDG-related initiatives. This can involve creating opportunities for youth to engage with policymakers and other stakeholders, as well as providing them with mentorship and leadership development programs.

3. Youth-Led Innovation: Youth-led innovation can drive sustainable development goals by identifying new and creative solutions to problems. Encouraging young people to develop and implement innovative solutions to sustainable development challenges can help them to be agents of change.

4. Partnerships: Collaboration and partnerships between youth-led organizations and other stakeholders can provide young people with valuable opportunities to contribute to sustainable development goals. Building partnerships and creating networks can help to leverage resources, expertise, and knowledge across sectors and stakeholders.

5. Access to Funding: Access to funding and resources is essential to support youth-led sustainable development initiatives. Providing grants, fellowships, and other forms of financial support to youth-led organizations can help to accelerate their work and amplify their impact.

6. Recognition and Awards: Recognizing and rewarding youth-led sustainable development initiatives can help to motivate and inspire young people to continue their work. Awards, scholarships, and other forms of recognition can help to raise the profile of youth-led initiatives and showcase their impact.

In summary, education and awareness, youth empowerment, youth-led innovation, partnerships, access to funding, and recognition are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in sustainable development goals implementation, monitoring, and review.

In response to Joshua Amponsem question 

I believe game-based learning platforms have the potential to serve as a valuable tool for collecting data and generating relevant indicators in this context. These insights can help to identify areas for improvement, inform future development efforts, and guide decision-making related to the design and implementation of game-based learning experiences.

Through the use of progress tracking and performance analysis features, gaming platforms can gather data on learners' behavior, learning patterns, and performance. This information can then be leveraged to generate indicators that measure the effectiveness of the game-based learning experience, helping to identify areas for improvement and 
inform future development efforts.

Ultimately, the data collected through gaming platforms is a tool that can be used to drive qualitative and behavioral change. Through thoughtful analysis and interpretation, this data can provide valuable insights that can guide the development of effective game-based learning experiences.

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organization, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

My name is John Leo Algo, a climate and environment advocate from the Philippines. I primarily focus on SDGs 13, 14, and 15, having more than a decade of advocacy and experiences in various fields and working environments as a policy campaigner, climate modeler, environment researcher, science communicator, green journalist, and author. I am currently the Deputy Executive Director of Living Laudato Si Philippines, an interfaith movement campaigning for the divestment of major financial institutions from fossil fuels and the empowerment of citizens for lifestyle and attitudinal shifts towards sustainability. I am also a member of the interim Secretariat of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, the country’s largest CSO network for climate action. Among my many advocacies are climate change education, just transition to renewables, promoting energy efficiency, nature-based solutions, sustainable lifestyles, and climate justice. I have represented the Philippines and the youth sector on numerous global and regional conferences under the UNFCCC and UNEP since 2017, including at multiple COPs. 
 

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

Some of the major challenges include the disregard or tokenistic approach by many government agencies and officials during attempts at engagement, lack of accessible and available means of adequate support for youth-led projects and activities, lack of knowledge and awareness on mechanisms and spaces for meaningful policy engagement, and lack of awareness about existing similar youth-led groups and projects that could form the basis of potential network-building.

 
3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

Key opportunities that must be provided by governments and multilateral governance bodies include establishing guaranteed spaces for meaningful youth representation and active participation in SDG-related policymaking from the global to the local levels, allocating sufficient funding opportunities to support youth-led projects and activities dedicated to promoting sustainable development, creating regular education and training programs to further enable and empower the youth about initiating SDG-related solutions, and providing opportunities for multi-sectoral partnerships to strengthen youth-led initiatives.

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

Establishing a centralized database of all existing SDG-related projects and available financial and technical resources, especially at the national and regional levels, would make it easier for the youth to build their networks and establish partnerships critical for potentially scaling up best practices that promote sustainable development. Investing in more modern modes of media and communications and narrowing the technological gap that exists within and among nations should also allow the youth to further expand their reach and enable more partnership-building and knowledge-exchanges. It is just as vital for these institutions to conduct these interventions such that it fosters trust and instills confidence within the youth to further entice them to be initiators of change towards genuine sustainability.

 
5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

It is important for policymakers and implementing entities to understand the local context in which young people from marginalized communities live, as their values and perceptions of development may vary from established standards. Without this, any proposed solution to be implemented or monitored is at risk of becoming a false solution. Consistent and inclusive engagement also matters, as SDG-related solutions must be executed long-term for its benefits to be truly experienced, especially at the grassroots level. Barriers related to access to information, education, and employment must also be eliminated to truly inspire the youth to meaningfully engage in said actions.

 
6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

Youth-washing must be addressed at the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit. Tokenistic statements and programs through the youth only to disguise or divert the public's attention away from the other agendas of people in power must be dealt with, as it is not only insulting to the voices of the youth calling for positive change, but also a major hindrance to our pursuit of sustainable development. The environmental rights of children and youth must also be emphasized during these events and beyond, as the burden of the failures of current older-generation leaders to address SDG-related issues would unfortunately be shouldered by us. It is also an imperative for both events to stress the need to accelerate transformative strategies towards more sustainable modes of development and living, especially on ending the era of fossil fuels, as no country is even close to achieve the SDGs by 2030. I am open to further engagements on informing, or even participating in the SDG Summit. 
 

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Yussif, a surgical tech trainee, Data analyst and a project manager from the Republic of Ghana. I am the founder of A-dus Consolidated and BH Dynamics. I am a diversely astute leader with years of experience under my belt providing policy direction, comprehensive planning and management of organizations in the many portfolios I have been privileged to occupy. Utilizing my leadership qualities have been pivotal to ensuring initiatives under my control are impactful and sustainable. The values of honesty, loyalty and dedication has been my guiding principles, it has helped me thrive where many have failed. Coming from a large family has ingrained in me how valuable human relation is, because it comes with the ideals of sharing a space with people and to properly relate with them.

I come from a community that was populated with a lot of marginalized people with little representation gave me a vivid experience and picture of the hardships of the average and ordinary person and I believe it is what inspired me to volunteer with NGOs and organizations that have taken the mandate to alleviate poverty and make lives better. It is out of these experiences that I have learnt the principle of service and its relevance in the lives of individuals. I am a strong advocate for education (Science, Tech, Climate, Girl Education and many more) Health and the SDGs.

During my secondary education, I strongly advocated for Christian students with the aim of continuously fostering freedom to fully worship and excel in a dominant Islam institution. I also was the first science student to lead the literary group, using arts to give voice to sensitive and vital issues.

I am proud to say I an alumnus of T.I Ahmadiyya Senior High School and the Kwame Nkrumah University of science and Technology. Again, I had the opportunity to serve as an executive of the Students’ Representative Council of the university in the capacity of the deputy Academic Board chair. In all these capacities, we made student leadership relevant and impactful.

 I am also the founder of the I CARE TOO a foundation that address the issues of health, education and SDG in Ghana. I have learned from the basic principle of one hand bathing the other to lend a helping hand where there’s need and to have a voice where it needs to be heard. My interests are in movies, music, history, culture, swimming and tennis.

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

Speaking of challenges being faced as a young person or organisation comes in different forms, manners and on different levels. I believe that most current leaders do not understand what is to hear and work with the younger generation which keeps the cycle of having to try much harder to have to heard always. As a young African, the challenges I face comes in three folds and I believe most young people around the world do face same.

1. The idea of being able to do less or say less because I am young and some of my ideas may seem impossible.
2. The chance to break boarders because of where I am from.
3. The support, even from some young people around us .

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context?

The world today has the dynamics of the emergence of new ways to address issues especially when we the youth are the most affected and to enhance youth leadership in SDG management I suggest the following

1. Continously pushing for inclusion of young in all areas
2. Teaching the young ones where we fall short and learning from our inputs basically saying opening up to the idea of our inputs and their possibilities
3. Abolishing the culture of being too young to do it

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

I would say the best way to address this is to include us at all point and all levels

5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

For a meaningful engagement of the young people, we have to understand the issues in depth and the generations involve as well as the people is affected and the emerging trends.

6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

My key message to ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit is “Youth inclusion within the Global development space is a feature the future can not be without and I call on everyone whether young or old to have their hands on”

Participation in other consultations and pre-conference proceedings is something I love to do always

1. Comment avez-vous, en tant que jeune ou organisation, mouvement et réseau de jeunesse, contribué à la mise en œuvre des ODD ou dirigé des initiatives jeunesse et ODD jusqu'à présent ? Présentez-vous et partagez votre expérience ou toute pratique prometteuse que vous connaissez ici !   Je m'appelle KINGUDI CHANCEL,je suis un étudiant congolais en relations internationales à l'Université de Kinshasa,je suis également coordonnateur de KINGUDIVISION une association de jeunes qui travaille en République démocratique du Congo sur la formation et la réintégration des jeunes désœuvrés dans la société,j'ai pratiquement plus de 6ans d'expérience à ce domaine,nous organisons de formations pour les jeunes dans le secteur de l'agro- pastorale, informatique,la conception de sac artisanaux etc..., Enfin de permettre aux jeunes désœuvrés d'apprendre les métiers pour qu'ils deviennent utiles dans la société,car nous constatons que beaucoup de jeunes sont exposés aux éventuelles délinquances juvéniles liées par le manque de travail en Afrique précisément .

  2. Quels sont certains des défis ou obstacles que vous avez rencontrés ou identifiés en tant que jeune ou organisation, mouvement et réseau de jeunesse, lorsque vous agissez sur les ODD ?    Dans l'exercice de notre travail sur les ODD,nous avons constatés que généralement dans le cas de conflits armés,guerre etc...,ce sont de jeunes qui sont de principaux victimes d'abus,chez les Femmes on compte un bon nombre de cas de violes, mutilations génitales etc..., chez les hommes nous enregistrons beaucoup de cas de recrutement forcé,aussi le cas de  travaux forcés à cause de la vigueur qu'a les jeunes dans les zones touchées par les conflits.

3.Quelles sont les opportunités clés pour améliorer le leadership des jeunes dans la mise en œuvre, le suivi et l'examen des ODD, dans votre contexte spécifique ,  dans mon contexte spécifique les opportunités clés pour l'amélioration de leadership des jeunes dans les ODD sont : une mise en place d'une structure internationale spéciale dirigée complètement par des jeunes qui auront pour mission de répertorier toutes les violations des droits humains faites contre les jeunes dans les zones touchées par les conflits etc...,sur toutes les étendues des État membre des nations unies par le biais de bureaux locaux qui s'installeraient  dans chaque pays membres des nations unies, l'idéal est de formuler en temps réel de notes de plaidoyer aux conseils de sécurité des nations unies afin que celle-ci appliquer strictement les articles du chapitre 7 de la charte de nations unies pour décourager définitivement ces violations des droits humains.

4.Comment le gouvernement, les entités des Nations Unies, les partenaires de développement, les organisations de jeunesse, les mouvements et réseaux, la philanthropie, les acteurs de la société civile et le secteur privé peuvent-ils mieux s'associer pour débloquer l'impact, les engagements et le financement pour les jeunes ?  - en favorisant la création de cette structure internationale totalement dirigée par les jeunes. -allouer les Fonds pour soutenir cette initiative de jeunes.

5.Comment l'engagement significatif des jeunes, en particulier des communautés marginalisées, peut-il être davantage renforcé et intégré dans la mise en œuvre, le suivi et l'examen des ODD, y compris au niveau local ? En sélectionnant à l'échelle locale les jeunes enquêteurs dévoués par le travail qui consiste à instaurer la paix,la justice,ces jeunes enquêteurs travaillerons en étroite collaboration avec les sociétés civiles fiable des chaque Etat membre des nations unies Pour répertorier touts les actes de violations des droits humains contre les jeunes,puis constituer des  rapports qui seront envoyés  au siège général de cette structure spéciale internationales pour saisir les conseils de sécurité pour l'application des articles du chapitre 7 de la charte des nations unies.

6.Quels sont vos messages et recommandations clés ou ceux de votre circonscription au Forum des jeunes de l'ECOSOC et au Sommet des ODD ? Soutenez-vous ou prévoyez-vous de soutenir des efforts et des consultations menés par des jeunes et inclusifs des jeunes qui pourraient éclairer le Sommet des ODD ?  Mon message clé au forum est celui de faire participer les jeunes activement dans la prise de décisions dans les cas des violations des droits humains faites contre  eux par le canal de la structure spéciale internationales dirigée totalement par eux même

How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far?  

My Name is Mzaagbe Philip, a graduate of BSC Economics from Benue State University Makurdi. I am a Professional Shoe Maker and a Farmer with over 5 years of experience in Bags, Belts and Shoes Production. A member of the Rotary International, Enterprise Development Center and Naija Youths Entrepreneurship Network (NYEN). I am the Founder of Millie's Fashionable and Collections a growing Footwear Brand in Nigeria and an Initiative called Millie's Foundation that has supported vulnerable children in Nigerian public schools with school sandals, writing materials and School uniforms as we are targeting the availability of quality Education for all classes of Children in our community. I also train, mentor and support young people in my community who intend to learn the skills of Shoe Making and Bags Production as we are desperately aimed at eradication poverty in our community.

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

Speaking of The Challenges faced as a young person trying to make a difference. A few of them are listed below

1. Implementation, such as ensuring programmes and ideas fit the local context. Based on community size and affected individuals

2. Governance, such as political will to transform development programmes into sustainable long-term practices

3. Sourcing for Funding, such as inability to support more schools who have large numbers of vulnerable children.

 3.What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? The Major key opportunities to enhance youths leadership in SDG implementation is to engage more youths and youths lead organizations into the decision making processes and the follow up procedures after implementing programs, to determine the effectiveness of the program with research and feed backs and required detailed data collected.

 4. How can government, UN entities, development partners, youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

1. Strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships

 2. Providing capacity-building support.

3. Strengthening data and evidence on youth issues.

4. Promoting youth participation in decision-making processes.

5. Investing in youth-led initiatives

5.How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

Through meaningful activity, youths can make a positive impact in society within their lifetime. Youth engagement is important because it allows young people to take part in activities that can help them feel a sense of purpose and happiness.

 6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

 Our message is you provide all the necessary assistance and support to all young individuals aimed at making a difference in their communities and to keep doing what you are doing to achieve development amongst rural societies across the world.

Young people’s positive role in driving SDG implementation, monitoring, and review 
1. How have you, as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!
Cheers Everybody!
I am Jordi López, a 17. y.o UN-recognized Changemaker from Barcelona, Spain.
Since I read an article stating that, by 2050, nearly 200M refugees would flee their homes due to Global Warming Effects, I knew I had to do something to help them. 
Thus I started to volunteer for NGOs and take part in UN events such as COP25 and the 2023 Youth Climate COP of Geneva.💡 
Furthermore, I've been participating in programs such as the Experiment Digital & Climate Change, the "22 Spring Fellowship of Civics Unplugged, and an Activist Group called: "Youth4Change" from International Plan. Moreover, I've launched my own initiative: World Zero C02, which counts on a fully-personalized algorithm that detects the n.º of carbon tones a person produces and proposes eco-goals and opportunities to reduce them. 💚
Lastly, UNCCeLearn recently recognized me as a Changemaker for my path as a climate activist. 🚀
2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?
From my perspective, I believe that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) represent and summarize the crisis that mankind faces today, thus, offering us the possibility of presenting a wide range of solutions to these issues. 💡
Nonetheless, despite the opportunities provided by NGOs or even by the UN and its committees, I believe that we, young people, are told, especially because of our educational system, to focus on our academic studies rather than the real-life crisis. Thus, an intercultural education based on teaching about the SDG (since, sadly, most of my colleagues don't know about them) and on offering fully personalized opportunities (by boosting juvenile political participation) while protecting Climate and, overall, giving young people the necessary tools to found initiatives, is KEY to ensure a better and more equal FUTURE. 💚
3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 
I believe that providing opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG's implementation, monitoring, and review are KEY to ensuring that we build, all together, a democratic and safe future. 💚
In my specific context, the ones I find interesting are the Childhood and Youth Board from our National Parliament, one of the many commissions whose daily work approaches young people to our politics through the Childhood Organizations Platform, a "cluster" of NGOs that follow a mission somehow related to the safety of children.  🚀
Furthermore, other ways to enhance SDG accomplishment by young people are juvenile organizations such as the European Youth Parliament (EYP), the Model of United Nations (MUN), the Civics Unplugged Fellowship, the Experiment Digital experience or the Climate Science community, which give youth from all over the world the opportunity to get to know each other. 💡
Looking ahead - youth recommendations in the lead-up to the SDG Summit
4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partners unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?
I firmly believe the United Nations should create a "YouthtechSDG" platform. That is, an investment fund led by and for youth. Its priority would be to provide the selected initiatives with all human and economic necessary resources. These projects will have to prove HOW can they successfully create networks between young people from worldwide and, using technology as a tool to change our way of living, will help with one of the Sustainable Development Goals. 💡
I strongly opine that these funds should be based on public-private partnerships, thus, helping new start-ups or NGOs to rise and provide a REAL change in youths' situation worldwide. In other words, create events such as Challenges, Hackathons, or Brainstorming, boost youths' creativity, help them to carry out their projects, and wait to see how the world CHANGES.  🌍🌎🌏
5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review including at the grassroots level?
Meaningful engagement of young people can be strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review through one word: EDUCATION. 
I fully believe that the United Nations and its SDG aren't present enough in each school worldwide. Thus, we don't have access to the necessary tools to participate in the decision-making process at a national or international level. Nonetheless, despite we're not being ignored (as the opportunities EXIST), we simply cannot access them (usually due to lack of information). Thus, using NGOs and national Ministries, the UN should launch local and global events to teach youths what is being done regarding the SDGs and what they can do to help. 🚀
Moreover, it is clear that youth activism should start earlier (when economic necessities are less present in our daily lives and, thus, we have more time to create, think, and collaborate). 💚
6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?
As a youth, and I believe I represent the voices of my friends, I would say to the ECOSOC meeting: "We're running out of time, we, youths, deserve a world in which we can live.” 💡
 

there is 193 countries word registered under UN in UN under registered the many countries under poverty we are saying the most powerful countries like America and India and Russia they are saying they are powerful countries and their have many resources in their own country but there is a big problem and their own countries it is poverty but many of the richest countries they are Countries there is a corner poverty what is a biggest problem in in the world the poverty make many deaths in their own countries we are saying for an example my condition biggest powerful country but their own country is also have poverty now we are the coronavirus is make all countries have a fear.  Jesus movirus it is undertaken country many light China and America and India make as many death of the country meaning of resource have their own country but they can't do it under them next once in every countries paper does not get there on fundamental rights fundamental duties also many of the countries that audio everyone not getting government needs and government resources country saying that we have given the people resource I am saying that whenever I am is the member of the UN General Secretary of UN my life my death whenever I am death I will give my energy to the people whenever I am going to die I will give the resources to all the people I am using menue the country saying we are always ask you are very big money is papers but they are not game all the essential to papers many of the countries Not Getting their own rights and needs

When young people are educated they are more likely to be aware of their rights and better able to make sure that these rights are respected. At the same time, education provides young people with vital skills and critical thinking and confidence, creating a healthy basis for everyone to succeed in life.

Besides formal education, such as education provided by schools and universities, there are other forms of education that become increasingly more relevant. Non-formal education, for example, entails education that is being provided by youth organizations, out-of-school clubs and e-courses. Informal education happens while discussing with friends and family or surfing the Internet.

Unfortunately, not every child and young person around the world has access to education. Some families are too poor to send their children to school, while other young people aren’t able to go to school due to safety concerns such as sexual harassment, violence or bullying. Some youth living in remote areas have no access to the Internet, while others don’t have access to educational facilities due to conflict or natural disasters. Too many girls are denied education due to local traditions, while other girls can’t attend school due to early pregnancies.

As education is a human right, it’s everyone’s responsibility to advocate for accessible and affordable education for all!

This is written by ananhashim

Pulliyil house MELMURI 27 malappuram kerala

676517

Contact

9562498395

8301098395 there is 193 countries word registered under UN in UN under registered the many countries under poverty we are saying the most powerful countries like America and India and Russia they are saying they are powerful countries and their have many resources in their own country but there is a big problem and their own countries it is poverty but many of the richest countries they are Countries there is a corner poverty what is a biggest problem in in the world the poverty make many deaths in their own countries we are saying for an example my condition biggest powerful country but their own country is also have poverty now we are the coronavirus is make all countries have a fear.  Jesus movirus it is undertaken country many light China and America and India make as many death of the country meaning of resource have their own country but they can't do it under them next once in every countries paper does not get there on fundamental rights fundamental duties also many of the countries that audio everyone not getting government needs and government resources country saying that we have given the people resource I am saying that whenever I am is the member of the UN General Secretary of UN my life my death whenever I am death I will give my energy to the people whenever I am going to die I will give the resources to all the people I am using menue the country saying we are always ask you are very big money is papers but they are not game all the essential to papers many of the countries Not Getting their own rights and needs

When young people are educated they are more likely to be aware of their rights and better able to make sure that these rights are respected. At the same time, education provides young people with vital skills and critical thinking and confidence, creating a healthy basis for everyone to succeed in life.

Besides formal education, such as education provided by schools and universities, there are other forms of education that become increasingly more relevant. Non-formal education, for example, entails education that is being provided by youth organizations, out-of-school clubs and e-courses. Informal education happens while discussing with friends and family or surfing the Internet.

Unfortunately, not every child and young person around the world has access to education. Some families are too poor to send their children to school, while other young people aren’t able to go to school due to safety concerns such as sexual harassment, violence or bullying. Some youth living in remote areas have no access to the Internet, while others don’t have access to educational facilities due to conflict or natural disasters. Too many girls are denied education due to local traditions, while other

Good day everyone,

I hope you are well and safe. I look forward to engaging with everyone.

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

My name is Zuha Ajlan. I am currently completing my Masters of Science in Medicine in neurophysiology, immunology, sleep medicine and women's health. I am a neuroscientist, an avid advocate for women's and gender-diverse people's rights, and a mentor for young people. I have a range of experience in advocacy and activism:

From being the Executive Chairperson of the Peer Counselors at my high school where we promoted a conversation around mental health and provided support to high school students.

I am a senior advocate for the Wits Gender Equity Office for 7 years. I have educated over 1000 university undergraduate and postgraduate students on gender-based violence, consent, sexual and reproductive health, self-breast examination, and toxic masculinity.

I recognise that many students especially young women are unaware of the different career opportunities available to them in STEM. Thus I started an initiative in 2022 called Shadow a Scientist where we had over 700 interested students gain insight into different career opportunities and routes to take them to achieve their goals. This year I aim to expand this initiative further by incorporating ways students can combine their passions with their career paths, activisim, and ways we can make education accessible to non-English speaking individuals.

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

There are several challenges and barriers that I faced. The very first barrier I faced was getting started. As someone who grew up identifying inequalities and burning with the need to make a change, I was often told "If you want to make a change then establish yourself and your career first or no one would listen". Moreover, the lack of resources and information available on how do I get started. So I took every measure I could to make a change no matter how small.

Other challenges that were experienced were: accessing resources, forming partnerships and gaining trust from organizations, and access to funding.

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

There needs to be an accessible database containing resources needed to equip young people with the knowledge and resources needed to help enhance their leadership. Moreover, there should be mentorship available to young people to help them through their journey with their respective project they are focusing on, how to network and form collaborations and even how to scale their work to a global level. Mentoring can help guide young leaders on how to find and/or create their opportunities.

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

That is an excellent question. First and foremost is education and awareness of the UN SDG. Many people across the globe are not even be aware of these goals and projects. I do understand that they are shared on the UN social media accounts, however, not everyone follows these accounts either. One of the ways we can create possible ways of awareness is by getting Governments involved and asking them to incorporate the SDG goals into their curriculum so that more younger students are aware of them as well.

Next, we need to ensure that there are funding opportunities available for start-ups and projects at a grassroot/community level. Some people have projects and ideas but it is not able to flourish due to insufficient funds or lack of resources.

Thirdly, there should be a youth advisory board (For under 18 and over 18) where their voices are heard, decisions and advise are considered.

Lastly, I would also suggest creating workshops and platforms where young people are able to identify their own passions, skills and ways they can incorporate those with the SDG to achieve them. It would be helpful to have an existing directory of SDG projects where young people can either get involved or they use them as inspiration to start their wn projects.

5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?
We need to ensure that their is engagement in a language accessible to them. Moreover, I believe community based review and monitoring boards are important where we can work together with the marginalized communities. It is imperative to hear their perspective, how they run things, what struggles are being faced etc, and these factors can be used to identify ways we can help the community, and create a long term relationship to improve lives.

6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

We are all gathering at the ECOSOC Summit to address the SDG, and find ways to help save our planet. We are not the leaders of tomorrow. We are leaders today paving the way for tomorrow to leave the world a kinder place for generations to come. I believe we can all create an international platform where we can work together to achieve these goals and ensure the SDG are met by 2030.

Thank you

I look forward to engaging with you

1.How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here! 

My name is Jeremie Kasongo from Congo-DRC, studying Management and Economic, Chimicals and Waste- Major Group Children and Youth member, Civil Society & Communities Constituency support Team/ or Technical Working Group to support Governing Board Working Group of the Pandemic Fund, volunteer at U-report/DRC and Project Manager at Malaria Youth Army Champion/DRC, we are currently making national youth advocacy to fight against malaria in Congo-DRC and for universal health coverage for the full implementation of 2030 UN Agenda, i coordinate and raise awareness both on water and climate with Eco-Network , UN1FY and so on...

I contribute to highlighting the role of young people in the implementation of the UN 2030 SDGs. 

2.What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs? 

In acting on the SDGs, we faced many challenges as a youth organization, we were able to identify:

The lack of technical and financial assistance for the effective implementation of the SDGs and the lack of participation of young people at the decision-making table

of which I could also list four major structural barriers in organizations that hinder youth engagement. These are issues of legality, lack of a dedicated budget, outdated regulations and issues of conflict of interest. 

3.What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

Looking ahead - youth recommendations in the lead up to the SDG Summit

In my specific context, there are many key opportunities to strengthen youth leadership in the implementation, follow-up and review of the SDGs.

Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) is an interesting goal because of the direct nature of its relationship to youth empowerment. Young people cannot be self-sufficient if they cannot fend for themselves and survive the economic realities of the times in which they operate.

Promoting youth voices and their participation in decision-making processes at all levels. By involving young people in the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs. And provide technical and financial support to youth-led organizations to build capacity to manage the implementation of the SDGs.

 4.How can government, UN entities, development partners, youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors and the private sector better partner together to unlock the impact, commitments and funding for young people?

Provide funds to facilitate the implementation of the SDGs by youth-led organizations

Through mandates and partnerships with global companies, civil society organizations, government agencies, multilateral institutions and United Nations entities.

 5.How can the meaningful engagement of young people, especially from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and integrated into the implementation, follow-up and review of the SDGs, including at the local level?

In addition to developing meaningful strategies to plan, facilitate and evaluate consultation with youth organizations, because young people need to come together and exchange ideas and think of creative solutions.

Approaching marginalized communities can often be a better way to start involving young people. For example, activities or programs based on interests or hobbies, learning skills, or simply having fun. Think of arts and music, sports and games, and useful skills like gardening and cooking, advocacy, Agenda for the SDGs.

 6.What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

My constituency's key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit could focused on promote youth participation and empowerment in all phases and levels of 2030 Agenda actions, including plan- ning, implementation and in monitoring and accountability for the Goals, including through youth-led initiatives.

1. Greetings everyone! My name is Hyacinth Burrowes and I am writing from New York City, New York, USA. I am a graduate student at New York University and I was awarded a fellowship last year which gave me the opportunity to go to COP27 and afterwards, to work with UNDP to analyze the consideration of health in the NDCs. This project has a wide breadth of impacts, but it focuses on SDG3 (good health and well-being) and SDG13 (climate action.) I am also working on a project specifically concerning climate change and youth health. This a collaboration between my school and a global health organization, to look at adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive rights as it relates to climate change. 

2. I think some of the challenges I have faced as a young person taking action on SDGs, include a lack of confidence. I lacked confidence in my local lawmakers to prioritize this issue and I lacked confidence in my value to contribute to remediation. With more experience and dialogue I have worked to quell some of that. I think the more opportunities we give to the youth to make their voices heard (like this forum!) and to interact with and contribute to climate policy are extremely valuable. 

I believe that the collective trauma of the pandemic and other national events have contributed to desensitization and demoralization of my peers. If we can reassure global citizens that their voices matter and that there is still time for a change, we can make a difference!

3. Some key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review include including age disaggregated data when measuring governance indicators (how many youth have a seat at the table leading projects, for example.) Creating more leadership and training programs for youth to be a part of SDG work will help us be more prepared when we are included in the conversation. Additionally, creating grants and scholarships for youth to contribute to existing projects in their regions is important for sustainable, inclusive action.

I will have to think more about my recommendations for the youth summit. Looking forward to connecting with you all. And good luck to everyone with their climate work!

QUESTIONS
 

Young people’s positive role in driving SDG implementation, monitoring and review 

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

My name is Camila Bertelli, 25 years old and brazilian. I’m a bachelor in Law and master’ student in International Law, my thesis is focusing on the impact of authoritarian governments on Latin America migration. Also, I’m a project advisor at the Institute for Development and Human Rights (IDDH), an Brazilian non governmental organization and non profit, which focuses on promoting democracy through human rights education (SDG 4, especially 4.7).      

I represent the IDDH at the Brazilian Civil Society Working Group for the 2030 Agenda, a coalition of entities and organizations with around 40 members from different sectors that together cover all areas of the Agenda 2030’s 17 SDGs. The group focuses on the Brazilian State and multilateral organizations, especially the United Nations (UN), promoting sustainable development, the fight against inequalities and injustices and the strengthening of universal and indivisible rights, based on the full involvement of civil society in all decision-making spaces. 

Also at the WG 2030 Agenda, we follow up the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Brazil through the Spotlight Report, an annual report that analyses and shows what the country needs to do in order to maintain the commitment assumed with the UN to reach the global goals by 2030. 

Challenges and opportunities to accelerate progress with young people in the driving seat

2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

Throughout my time taking action on SDG’s, I have noticed that there are several barriers and challenges, especially in less developed countries. 

1. Access to information and knowledge - in Brazil, I’m aware that so much more could be done or put into practice if the people (in general - brazilian population) have more access to information about the SGDs and the 2030 Agenda. So many have no idea what this programme is and would be part if that information were more accessible, which makes me go to the second: 
2. Lack of adequate mentorship and support to empower we young people taking action - for those who have the information may not know exactly what and how to do to be part of the 2030 agenda. In a country so full of inequalities, doing so little (like sorting out the garbage, or not throwing garbage in the seas, for example) it’s a way to help the implementation of the SGDs. We may be small, but small actions can change the world. 

3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

I think that more partnership with members of the Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary, as well as universities and civil society could be the key to show the exemple and develop public policies to support SGD’s implementation. Also, seminars and lectures to high school and collegiate level could be important to educate the kids and youth about the importance of the agenda. 

Looking ahead - youth recommendations in the lead up to the SDG Summit

4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?
    

In my reality, the civil society is the most active member for the implementation of the SGDs. The other entities promote youth participation in decision-making processes more actively and also invest in youth-led initiatives.

5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?
    

By ensuring that young people from marginalized communities are represented and have opportunities to participate in decision-making processes related to SDG implementation, monitoring, and review. This includes participation in local and national consultations, planning processes, and monitoring and review mechanisms. Also, build public policies to promote education, access to information, gender equality, non discrimination and inclusion of all.

6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

My message to both Foruns is get as many young people involved as possible and engage them in discussions at every level. But, I’m not saying that to invite the youth to go, but to actually listen to what the youth representatives have to say, especially those from marginalized and less developed countries. We, as youth, can and want to be part of the change, but for that, we have to have an active voice to speak to those who can do something.  

Hello, my name is Gibson Kawago. I am a young leader for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from Tanzania and an innovator who is passionate about clean energy and using technology to solve societal problems. I am the founder and Chief Technical Officer of WAGA, a company that designs and manufactures solar-powered systems for rural communities in Tanzania.

Growing up in a village without access to electricity, I experienced firsthand the challenges that come with living off-grid. This inspired me to develop innovative solutions that could provide affordable and sustainable energy to rural communities. Through WAGA, we are able to reuse laptop batteries to provide reliable and durable lithium-ion battery solutions, including solar lamps, power banks, and mini-power walls.

In addition to my work with WAGA, I am also involved in community development initiatives, such as providing digital job access training and STEM education to young people. I recently worked as a manager in the establishment of the STEM Park Tanga, the first science center in Tanzania.

As a young leader for SDGs, I am committed to promoting sustainable development and creating positive change in my community. I am happy to collaborate with you for the ECOSOC Youth Forum day 3 and share my experiences in using innovation and entrepreneurship to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.

Thank you for considering my participation, and I look forward to working with you towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

Hello everyone! 👋🏼 

It's been great to see the interaction that Richa Gupta and Eddy Frank Vásquez helped moderate last week. 👏🏼 

💪🏼 This week I'm excited to be leading the moderation with the support of Joshua Prentice and Mwinji Nachinga.  

💡 A bit about me: I'm from Peru, the Lead Next Generation Fellow at the UN Foundation and currently supporting an Action Group of Young people in the lead-up to the SDG summit, so I'm really interested by all your thoughts as I'm particularly working in the link between the different SDGs! 

⬇️ As a reminder please find below the list of questions we're looking for you to answer. You can answer one or them all (make sure you mark which one your answer is linked to)! And also feel free to interact with other young peoples comments as they share their thoughts too. Let's make this an interactive conversation! 

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!
2. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?
3. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 
4. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?
5. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?
6. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

See you in the comments for some conversation! 

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

Hello to everyone. I am Bigambia Bitimi Charles from Cameroon.

Passionnate about substainable development through local artisinal production, Engineer of mines and independent consultant on project management. Located in a locality where mining activities is moderated, i have noticed that many craftmment dont matured their project before lauching the extraction process and production. I decided to bring a physical assistances to these craftment in other to assist them both technically and manageriale (accounting, taxation decleration mangement). This has showned a positive result because through this action some cratfment got some contact signing with big firm that permitted them to sell their products.

Hello Bigambia, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and the great initiative you have implemented with the craftsmen in your community. Do keep it up! 👏🏾

1、How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here!

My name is Tao Yuanyuan, I am from China, I am 20 years old. Currently a Red Cross project grantee, a group of marginalized youth. The first contact with the SDGs project was an attempt at NCDA. My recent work has focused on regional climate protection and responses to IPCC reports. At present,i tried submit a proposal for "Sustainable Art Development • Calligraphy Dreams" in the "Innovation and Entrepreneurship for College Students" competition, organize intangible cultural heritage club activities and sustainable development art work on campus, and promote SDGs science popularization on social media platforms. My major is visual communication and design, so as a young SDG promoter, I will use my professional field to visualize information data and establish an information sharing system in the edge area in related project work in the future.

2、What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

As a developing country with a large population, the problem of ecological footprint will gradually emerge with the development of social construction. The class gap is also widening rapidly, and the contact with the SDGs project as a marginalized youth has made me fully aware of the importance of sharing information resources. I was born in a rural area, and I am grateful to the country's emphasis on education and the implementation of policies, so that I can continue to obtain educational resources, and after entering university, I actively seek corresponding solutions to the fundamental poverty, and in the process I really have the opportunity to see the vastness of the world.

On the challenges and obstacles faced by marginalized youth:

1. There is a lack of financial support to carry out the operation
2. Information barriers, difficulties in obtaining effective resources, and professional and technical knowledge support
3. Without the right to speak, in the environment of pursuing the tone of the strong, grassroots voices are easily covered
4. It is difficult to establish organizations, and most of the people around them lack the sense of community of interest and the sense of protagonists of the earth
5. Some grassroots organizations have no real work, and their articles are bright and beautiful on the surface
6. Inability to resist major incidents

Conceptual bondage (family court...). ）

3、What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context?

In the future, the relevant project work will tend to use professional fields to visualize information data and establish information sharing systems in edge areas. I am committed to entering the departments of related fields, using art and design innovation and entrepreneurship, directly giving influence to the things around life, first of all, opening an outlet in terms of ideological limitations, narrowing the distance between people, and promoting the harmonious development of an inclusive society.

In order to actively build partnerships for the goal, I will actively seek opportunities to participate in the construction of the digital economy and seize more opportunities of the times for marginalized youth and communities. Work with governments, UN entities, charities, businesses and youth development organizations to ensure that marginalized youth voices are taken into account at all levels of decision-making.

4、How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

I will continue to maintain contact with the organization, and in order to amplify the voices of marginalized youth, connect with more like-minded youth groups who want to solve poverty and promote an inclusive society, and carry out social activities with the inheritance, development and mainstream art market as the main line, so as to gain the attention of all walks of life, so as to achieve a partnership of community of interests. All sectors should respect the ability of young people to work, pay corresponding remuneration, support funds, and friendly cooperation, rather than exist as "presses".

5、How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level?

The first is the exchange of values, strengthening the sense of ownership of young people (ideas determine the way out) and establishing a platform for sharing resource information (not limited by region or authority), and it is important to master relevant professional knowledge and skills. The establishment of youth leadership organizations and supervisory organizations to prevent the possibility of a new round of inequality caused by the birth of a new type of resource hegemon (style determines success or failure). It needs the respect and support of young people and young leaders at all levels of society (public opinion determines the direction). Then there are opportunities to connect with marginalized youth groups: local school systems, community service organizations, non-profit organizations, and businesses should all demonstrate social responsibility (quality dictates action).

6、What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

First express my feelings of great support and anticipation, and then my summary recommendation is

It is necessary to increase the participation of marginalized young people in projects and accumulate experience in projects for each of the SDGs, so as to promote the construction and advancement of grassroots causes. From nature, society, economy, and science and technology as the core deployment, build and create more social well-being, jointly build a good inclusive and modern ecosystem where no one is left behind, so that young people can directly empower them, rather than contemplation or decision-making experiments.

Finally, I would like to express my personal views, and thank you very much for the opportunity to communicate with you here, which allows me to see a broader international perspective and a vision of "the better future we want". I am willing to fight for this cause, and if I have the opportunity, I plan to participate in more exchange summits and get as many contacts with the organization as possible.

Hello, as a Colombian political scientist with almost 2 years of professional experience working for national and international organizations, here are some of my contributions for this discussion:

1. How have you, as a young person or youth organisation, movement and network, contributed to the SDG implementation or led youth & SDG initiatives so far? Introduce yourself and share your experience or any promising practice you know of here.

Ans: As a young person i have contributed to the SDG Implementation by putting gender equality (SDG 5) and reduction of inequalities (SDG 10) in the center of every work i have developed. Working for Embassies and International Organizations has shown me the importance of gender equality and inclusion as well as reduction of inequalities by making follow up to important public policy issues and projects specially in culture, migration and financial cooperation and inclusion, topics that do really matter for the Colombian Government and for the European Union and its European External Action Service. I have been privileged to be able to participate and engage with young people at the OYW 2019 Summit at London and to support the #16daysofactivism campaign along with other work colleagues at the EU Delegation to Colombia last year; therefore, i consider that my contribution as well as the other contributions made by other young people in this panel, could have a considerable impact for the ECOSOC Forum that will be developed at the UN headquarters in New York.

1. What are some of the challenges or barriers you have faced or identified as a young person or youth organization, movement, and network, when taking action on SDGs?

Ans: Some of the challenges faced by me as a young person and professional when taking action on SDGs are the lack of professional experience and the no correspondence of the knowledge acquired at college with the demands of the "real world". Specially in Latin America, young professionals are each day facing unemployment and lack of opportunities when accessing the labour market, and this is because we are too young to have the professional experience required for some jobs but some times overqualified when posting ourselves to vacancies, and that is something most of us have to deal with when trying to insert to the professional world or when developing independent consultancy projects. We as youngsters tend to be in the development plans of our goverments but in real life, we are forgotten and not taken into account when we need  our voices to be heard.

1. What are key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring, and review, in your specific context? 

Ans: In my specific context, key opportunities to enhance youth leadership in SDG implementation, monitoring and review starts at college by participating in projects and discussions about SDGs, by participating at in person forums and discussions to engage with SDGs and being able to put our ideas in spaces like this on SparkBlue, which i consider it as an excellent platform to enhance leadership not only for the SDGs but for us as young people to contribute to tackle the challenges pressing us today at tumultous times.

1. How can government, UN entities, development partners,  youth organizations, movements and networks, philanthropy, civil society actors, and the private sector better partner to unlock impact, commitments, and financing for young people?

Ans: All the mentioned actors can partner to unlock impact, commitments and financing for young people by recognizing young people as key actors for the implementation of SDGs and subsecuent projects. All the actors have to make a conscious diagnostic to evaluate the current state of their respective projects in terms of impact, commitments and financing for young people and based on this diagnostic, solutions and proposals must be made considering not only national but international advances being made on SDGs and taking into account also that without cooperation among each one of them, the impacts, commitments and financing for young people cannot be possible either in a short nor a long period of time.

1. How can the meaningful engagement of young people, in particular from marginalized communities, be further strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroots level

Ans: Marginalized communities should be not defined as marginalized if given proper space and attention by private and public actors, so they can become strengthened and mainstreamed in SDG implementation, monitoring and review including at the grassroot level by being given attention, priority and financing by society as a whole. As a first step, education is the key for them to advance their condition and have social mobility, then a home or land (something they can have and consider as own) could empower them to make further demands and opportunities (at work, at their communities, at their home countries).

1. What are your or your constituency’s key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit? Are you supporting or planning on supporting youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit?

Ans: My key messages and recommendations to the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the SDG Summit is to rebalance and reshape our world. As young people, we have a duty and a right to enjoy a more foreseeable future where we can develop sustainably and we can make an impact with our ideas, projects, and current jobs. Our voices must be heard, is not a petition but a claim, and the current international situation is having a meaningful impact in our present and immediate future, we wont remain young forever and if there is a moment to act it is today. I am not supporting or planning to support youth-led and youth inclusive efforts and consultations that could inform the SDG Summit but i encourage the ones who are doing it right now not to fail on their efforts. If i have the chance in a near future to support youth-led and youth-inclusive efforts with my current work or ideas, like i am doing in this space, i would definitely do it.

Thank you Tao for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Also, congratulations on the work you’re doing around Sustainable Art Development and meaningful youth engagement.

On your call for increased participation of marginalised young people on projects, when you get a chance, please look at the Youth 2030: United Nations Youth Strategy https://www.unyouth2030.com/about where you can find helpful tools to ensure youth participation, review and follow up on the 2030 Agenda.

On the exchange of values and connecting with other youths, please do check out the Major Group for Children and Youth which is a self-organised space for children and youth to contribute and engage in policy processes at the United Nations.

1. I'm Eliane EL Haber, and I'm from Lebanon. I am an executive committee member of the UNESCO SDG4Youth network. Between June 2022 and September 2022, the network worked with OSGEY and other partners on shaping the Youth Declaration on Transforming Education. The process included one in-person consultation in Paris during the Transforming Education Pre-Summit, as well as two online consultations. It also included grassroots consultation and surveys. During the process, 170 countries were reached, and half a million young people shared their visions. The result was the Youth Declaration, which was presented to the UN secretary-general and included 25 demands and five commitments. This document is a vision of how the young people of the world want to see the future of their education, and this Youth Declaration is to be followed by action plans on the global and local levels to achieve the difference aimed for and bring that change to reality.

You can check the Youth Declaration here: https://www.un.org/en/transforming-education-summit/youth-declaration

2.  I can name 2 challenges. 

1. including as many young people as possible, particularly from marginalized communities and indigenous people. The aim was and is to include as many young people as possible, and reaching those who don't have access to resources, the internet, or digital devices remains a big challenge.
2. In some countries and places, when young people hear about the SDGs, they mostly know what they are about, but in some others, neither the formal nor the informal education helped in teaching this, so this requires teaching the youth about the SDGs before talking about the next steps in implementation, which are feasible but challenging.

4.And I always say this: Creating a better tomorrow is not just one stakeholder's responsibility; it is a shared mission, shared vision, shared planet, and shared humanity, so it should be a shared responsibility as well as a shared action plan. It's not just men, it's not just women, it's not just young people, it's not just seniors, it's not just CSOs, it's not just NGOs, it's not just governments—it's all of them putting some ego aside, connecting the dots, finding a common ground, and focusing for real, genuinely, sincerely, on one target—better lessons learned from the past, a better present, and a better future. In one word, cooperation.

Thank you so much Elaine! Do you have any ideas on the framework the integration of these different stakeholders should operate?