UNGA Wrap-Up: Elevating Youth Voices and Fostering Global Partnerships
As the dust settles on another action-packed Scouting engagement at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, let’s look back on what we achieved and what’s next in the world of World Scouting advocacy and partnerships.
A Critical Year for Sustainable Goals
This year, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit marking the half-way point to the 2030 Goals, it was particularly important for Scouting, our priorities and interests. Ensuring that the voices of young people are at the forefront of international cooperation and sustainable development has never been more critical. Our focus has been to elevate youth perspectives and priorities in global dialogues, aligning with broader Scouting principles and ambitions.
Youth Advocacy in Action
Leading World Scouting’s engagements at the SDGs Summit and UNGA this year were three of our talented Youth Representatives: Meg Cummins (Australia) from the SDGs patrol, Ivy Murugi (Kenya) from the Human Rights and Health patrol, and Urtė Petrulytė (Lithuania) from the SDGs patrol.
Meg, Ivy and Urtė are tireless advocates for the inclusion and recognition of young people in decision-making processes and in finding solutions to pressing global challenges. They represented the World Scout Movement through speaking engagements, high-level events, networking opportunities, and more.
They joined WOSM’s Secretary General Ahmad Alhendawi, senior figures from the World Scout Foundation and staff to advocate for the priorities of Scouts and all young people in sustainable development.
In line with our mission of creating a better world, the WOSM team took center stage in key events to amplify calls to action from decision-makers and advocate for youth engagement. From the SDG Action Weekend to key speaking engagements with the UNFPA ICPD+30 and the Unlock the Future initiative, our Youth Representatives and Secretary General did not miss an opportunity to engage with world leaders, corporate partners, and civil society organizations.
Celebrating World Scouting's Contribution to SDGs
We are thrilled to share that the World Scout Movement remains the world's largest youth contribution to the SDGs. While young people continue to be among the most vulnerable to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, they are also among the biggest contributors to change and progress on sustainable development.
In fact, Scouts are making good on their commitment to put our planet on a path towards sustainability. Since 2017, we have tracked community service hours by young people on our SDG Hub amounting to nearly 3 billion hours of local, youth-led actions towards achieving the SDGs.
Beyond advocacy, the WOSM team also took the opportunity at the UNGA to foster and further develop strategic partnerships with key stakeholders. We know that collaboration is key to sustainable development, and took every opportunity to explore and advance significant partnership opportunities.
Key Highlights:
- Development of a bold partnership and impactful with UNICEF and Generation Unlimited
- Hosting a reception and dinner with our friends at the World Scout Foundation
- Exploring funding avenues for Scouts responding to crises with Education Cannot Wait
- Formalizing a partnership agreement with UNFPA
- Hosting an impactful partnership for the goals side-event with SAP
- Exploring partnership opportunities with Dubai Cares at COP28 and the ReWired Summit
- Co-hosting a Funders' breakfast with the UN Foundation and launching the 'Road to 2100' initiative with a network of youth-centric organizations via the Unlock the Future Coalition
- Joining the new SDGs at Halftime campaign with the UN Office for Partnerships and Project Everyone, focused on calling for action over the next 7 years to 2030
- Exploring opportunities with Junior Achievement, Accenture and many more to enrich our educational initiatives
You can read more about WOSM’s priorities and messages on the SDGs and UNGA here:
- World’s largest youth movement contributing to the SDGs calls for urgent action during UNGA, WOSM press release
- Halfway to 2030: How Scouts are Turning Crisis into Commitment for the SDGs, by Meg Cummins, WOSM Youth Representative
- Can We Save the Global Goals? by Ahmad Alhendawi, WOSM Secretary General
- Game On! Levelling Up as a Scout at the UN General Assembly, by Urtė Petrulytė, WOSM Youth Representative
- Scouts for SDGs Hub, the central place for Scouts to learn about and contribute to the SDG
Game on for the Second Half
We're at half-time to 2030 - the world’s deadline for achieving the SDGs. While we face challenges, we remain steadfast in our mission. We will continue to build upon the Scouts for SDGs platform, advocate for more inclusive policies and youth-led decision-making, and campaign for greater funding for youth development. The game is far from over, and we're not slowing down.
The momentum gained at UNGA will carry forward to the upcoming COP28, another crucial forum where WOSM Youth Representatives will work to influence policy and advocate for youth-centred climate action solutions.
