The 4th African Youth SDGs Summit underscores crucial role of young people in accelerating achievement of SDGs

The 4th African Youth SDGs Summit brought together several thousand young people, business and civil society leaders, and representatives from the United Nations to amplify the role of Africa’s young people in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Summit was held at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) under the theme “Youth Resilience in COVID-19 era; Pathways to accelerate actions towards achieving the SDGs”.

The Summit served thousands of young people across the continent to share their views on the challenges and opportunities for enhancing their engagement in and contribution to achieving the SDGs.

Opening the Summit at the UNECA, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Dr. Catherine Sozi, noted that the 2030 Agenda recognises children and youth as ‘critical agents of change’ in the SDGs platform and for the ‘creation of a new world’.

“We must ensure that you are not only heard but understood; not only engaged but empowered; and, especially, not only supporting but leading the global efforts and processes to accelerate progress towards the SDGs,” Dr. Sozi emphasised.

“We will not be able to end poverty, ensure gender equality, reverse climate change and, overall, achieve the SDGs by 2030, if we fail to equally empower all young people taking account of your diversity and the power of your differences in thoughts, ideas, cultures and traditions that you represent globally,” said Dr. Sozi.

The central objective of the Summit was to promote multi-stakeholder engagement among the youth and to draw commitments and high-level support from different stakeholders including UN Member States, civil society and the private sector towards active youth participation in the implementation, review and accountability of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063.

The Summit held in a hybrid (virtual and physical) format was attended by more than 200 in-person participants and over 10,000 virtual participants from across Africa and the world.

The Summit was jointly organized by Youth Advocates Ghana, Talent Youth Association (Ethiopia), United Nations Association (Ethiopia), Federal Ministry of Planning and Development (Ethiopia), Office of the UN Resident Coordinator (Ghana),Office of the UN Resident Coordinator (Ethiopia) with funding and technical support from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Engender Health and IPPF Africa Regional Office.