Partnership with young people

Provided with the necessary skills and opportunities needed to reach their potential, young people can be a driving force for supporting development and contributing to peace and security. Youth-led organizations need to be encouraged and empowered to participate in translating the 2030 Agenda into local, national and regional policy. They play a significant role in the implementation, monitoring and review of the Agenda as well as in holding governments accountable. With political commitment and adequate resources, young people have the potential to make the most effective transformation of the world into a better place for all.

The Youth Coalition for the SDGs brings together more than 30 youth organizations that focus on SDGs implementation and awareness. The youth coalition was created in 2019 for the youth to share ideas. It is operated under the auspices of the SDG Secretariat with support from UN Coordinator’s Office. Through this platform, ABSA Bank has come on board, to create a youth hub to facilitate the coordination and mobilization of the youth to play their role in achieving the SDGs, and support youth-led SDG awareness activities. The youth hub is intended to provide a space for young people for knowledge and innovation sharing.

Collaboration with young people on SDG innovations: In September 2020, the Government of Uganda and the UN in Uganda launched October as the SDG Awareness Month with a webinar themed “The Role of the Youth in Accelerating Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”. The youths are involved in SDGs related innovations under individual organizations with support from the Government or donors.

The overall objective of the initiative is to identify and mobilize youth with solutions that are changing lives in order to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. The initiative hopes to cement partner- ship with young people as development partners at all levels, connect youth innovations to solutions especially with the private sector and provide support and motivation.