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Media Advisory - Africa Youth Side Event at the UN Summit of the Future, New York

20 September, 2024
Media Advisory - Africa Youth Side Event at the UN Summit of the Future, New York

To contribute to and shape the outcome of this once-in-a-generation engagement, African Youth will host a side event at the United Nations Summit of the Future, scheduled to take place in New York from 23 to 24 September. African youth are projected to make up 42 per cent of the global youth population by 2030. However, they continue to face challenges, including slow progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This underscores the urgent need for a new dialogue to facilitate transformative and innovative solutions to accelerate progress towards achieving these Global Goals, particularly in Africa, a critical focus of the Summit.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, underscores the need for the Summit of the Future, saying "We cannot construct a future for our grandchildren with a system designed for our grandparents."

In line with the UN Chief’s call, the Summit of the Future, therefore, offers an opportunity for African Youth to reclaim their rightful place at the centre of the global agenda, shape and lead the exchange, leveraging the outcomes of the African Youth Forum, where over 250 youth organizations participated in last April, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to generate ideas, which are pegged to the Summit's five thematic areas and captured in the “African Youth Declaration on the Summit of the Future.” The Summit's outcomes, including the Pact for the Future, are also expected to feature youth-led policy recommendations that drive structural transformation and ensure Africa's active role in reshaping global governance. Read more ...

Event website https://www.un.org/osaa/events/our-world-our-future-african-youth-and-summit-of-future