SAP and World Scouting host dialogue on future generations, climate-action, and the impact of technology

The Learning and Skills for Sustainable Youth Development Dialogue Series aims to mobilise a diverse range of stakeholders to support and scale up youth initiatives, harnessing technological innovations to bridge skill gaps and promote sustainable practices.

SAP and World Scouting jointly hosted the high-level discussion earlier this week on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly and The Summit of the Future in New York. The third edition of this dialogue emphasised the interconnection between environmental stewardship and the future of education, emphasising the need for innovative, inclusive, and youth-driven approaches to address our world's most pressing issues.

Bringing together high-level guests, speakers, and participants from government, the private sector, civil society organisations, and young leaders, the dialogue fostered a collaborative environment to share knowledge, thought-provoking insights, experiences and ideas to help transform future skills building for young people. This collective effort underscores a shared commitment to empowering young people, fostering innovation, and building a future that is both technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable.

A sustainable future driven by youth

During a panel discussion on environmental sustainability and role of youth-led action, the dialogue delved into the critical role that youth-led initiatives play in advancing environmental sustainability; shared insights on successful youth-driven projects, the challenges faced, and the support needed to scale their efforts.

Speakers also explored how young people are at the forefront of environmental activism, leveraging technology, creativity, and community engagement, making tangible impacts amid unprecedented environmental challenges. They highlighted the power of inter-generational collaboration and the importance of empowering young people as agents of change who actively contribute to creating a sustainable future that benefits all.

Harnessing technology to transform learning

Advances in technology were the focus of a further discussion, with speakers highlighting how developments in artificial intelligence was reshaping how we learn, work, and interact, revolutionising educational pathways and creating new opportunities for personalised and adaptive learning. Panelists also underscored the importance of readying current and future generations for the dynamic and interconnected world ahead, leveraging technology to enhance learning outcomes and bridge skill gaps.

The dialogue also provided an opportunity to showcase ongoing collaborations between SAP and World Scouting, including support for JOTA-JOTI, the world's largest digital Scout event taking place online and over the air.

A gathering of global experts

The event was co-hosted by Meg Cummins, World Scouting Youth Representative, and Wissam Kadi the Vice-President for Global Initiatives, SAP Academies & University Alliances. Bandar Alshuraym a Misk Foundation Fellow and Melissa El Feghali, Youth Representative at World Scouting moderated the respective panel discussions.

World Scouting and SAP are extremely grateful for the following high-level guests, speakers and partners that gave up their time to make the event a success:

• HRH Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, Board Member, World Scout Foundation
• Dr. Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, United Nations Youth Office
• Haoliang Xu, Assistant Administrator, Under-Secretary-General, and Associate Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
• John Goodwin, Executive Chairma, Learning Economy Foundation
• Susan Warner, Global Community Engagement, Founder of Girls4Tec, Mastercard Foundation
• Frederic Werner, Head of Strategic Engagement Division, International Telecommunications Union, Chief of Strategy and Operations at AI for Good
• Asheesh Advani, Chief Executive Office, Junior Achievement Worldwide 
• Dr. Karina Edmonds, Senior Vice-President, SAP Academies and University Alliances 
• Robin Boggs, Managing Director - Corporate Citizenship Americas, Accenture
• Dr. Andrew Cunningham, Global Lead Education, Aga Khan Foundation
• Ana Leonor Fernandes, Global President, AIESEC
• Naglaa Mohammad, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of P-Vita. 

The Fiduciary Trust International kindly sponsored the event’s venue through the World Scout Foundation, were represented at the event by Kenneth Kito, Vice President and Wealth Director and Ronald Sanchez, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer.