World’s largest youth movement contributing to the SDGs calls for urgent action during UNGA

• Scouts have contributed nearly 3 billion hours of community service and local youth-led actions to deliver on a global commitment to the SDGs.
• Youth advocates representing 57 million Scouts in 174 countries attend UNGA to tell world leaders and governments that they must now fulfil their promises.

New York, United States  — As world leaders get ready to gather in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and SDG Summit, World Scouting is challenging leaders, institutions, corporations, and other civil society organisations to move from words and commitments to concrete action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to the UN’s SDG Progress Report released earlier this year, only 12% of the SDG targets are on track, which is particularly concerning at the halfway point to the deadline for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, despite the fact that ongoing crises have either stalled or reversed progress towards achieving the SDGs, the Scout Movement is making good on its commitment to put our planet on a path towards sustainability by contributing nearly 3 billion hours of community service, and millions of local youth-led actions towards the Global Goals. 

The largest youth-led contribution to the SDGs is being made possible through a global mobilisation initiative called Scouts for SDGs, which aims to promote youth-led sustainable development, increase volunteerism, and raise awareness about the most critical global issues of our time. The Scouts for SDGs initiative is the result of a longstanding partnership between the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the World Scout Foundation and Alwaleed Philanthropies, the impact of which is detailed in a new five-year evaluation report released alongside World Scouting’s involvement in the UNGA. 

During the High-Level Meeting in New York, Scouting’s leadership and a group of Youth Representatives will be on hand to address the UNGA with an urgent message for world leaders: We need accountability from decision-makers and long-term action for meaningful progress on the SDGs.

Scouting’s Youth Representatives are also calling for greater involvement of young people in identifying issues, finding solutions and implementing them to create a better, more sustainable world.

“This week is an incredibly important moment as the half-way point to the SDGs. It’s a moment in time for every single person to stop, reflect on the last few years of incredibly hard work towards the goals, and recognise how much further we have to go to ensure the promise of a better world comes to fruition by 2030,” said Meg Cummins, one of World Scouting’s Youth Representatives who will be in attendance during the UNGA. 

“Our collective future is at stake. Young people are looking to world leaders and governments for action on the SDGs. A failure to follow through on commitments will signal the end of our planet’s sustainability, and will threaten the livelihood of people and communities around the globe,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. “We need to hear directly from young people and ensure they are actively involved in decision-making around the urgent challenges facing our planet.”

Through humanitarian efforts to respond to the recent earthquake and floods in Morocco and Libya, to building urban gardens and coordinating ocean cleanups to stem the tide against the climate emergency, 57 million Scouts are leading community action and youth-led change in towns, cities, and villages, in every corner of the world. Scouting’s global network and deep local roots, in particular drive action in underserved remote and rural areas where the challenges related to the SDGs are often the most entrenched and hardest to tackle.

By investing in young people at an early age and instilling a commitment to sustainability through educational programmes and activities, Scouting is empowering future generations with the knowledge and skills they need to be champions for sustainability, creating an impact lasting well beyond 2030. Scouting will be working closely with partners at the event, including UN Foundation, SAP, Project Everyone, Generation Unlimited, UNFPA, World Health Organization, and the Greening Education Partnership.

"The contribution of Scouts and young people to the SDGs is essential, and must be amplified and better resourced if we are going to continue to make progress towards the SDG targets set by the international community,” said Mark Knippenberg, Chief Executive Officer of the World Scout Foundation. “By investing in young people and youth-led change, we can accelerate the impact that we want to have in the world.”