Programe
Big BRainstorm 2023
The Big Kick-Off – 16 February, 9:00-10:30am ET
A virtual event for mentors, partners, and young changemakers who are interested in contributing to one of the Action Groups.
It all starts here with the unmissable Big Kick-Off, where you’ll get your first introduction to the initiatives to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges, which you can help design.
As well as representatives from the Big Brainstorm’s eight Action Groups, we’ll hear from an exciting line-up of special guests, including SDG Activist Eddie Ndopu, Spoken Word Esethu Sotheni, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN, ECOSOC President H.E Lachezara Stoeva, and UN Foundation Senior Director, Global Partnerships Harshani Dharmadasa, together with our moderator UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow Lead Inés Yábar!
The event will close with a special performance from Mia Kami, a young Tongan singer and songwriter, and winner of 2023 UN Foundation SDG Vanguard Award, who uses music to inspire intergenerational action and fuel political and environmental change.
Spotlight 1: The grand ambition to change trajectories in the second half of the SDG era
17 February, 9:00-10:10am ET
Multiple crises have hit young people the hardest. Compared to adults, young people are two times more likely to live in poverty and three times more likely to lose their job. Most young people also live in countries that are underrepresented and marginalized in global bodies, and it is only through international cooperation that we can more effectively protect their interests in the future. Halfway into the 2030 era, it’s time to change our approach and start investing in young people.
Guest speakers Include:
Laurel Patterson, Head of the SDG Integration, United Nations Development Program
H.E. Keisha McGuire, Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations
Nikolai Hegertun, Senior Adviser, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
Corina Kwami, Director of Strategy, Purpose
H.E. Xolisa Mabhongo, Deputy Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations
Moderator:
Inés Yábar, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow Lead
Spotlight 2: Equipping young people with the skills to thrive
20 February, 9:00-10:10am ET
After the largest disruption of education in history, many are questioning fundamental standards and inequities of the global education system. In many places of the world, lack of digital access and resources, formalistic teaching, and outdated curriculums does not prepare young students adequately for their future. Still, many young people leave school without basic knowledge in reading, writing, and mathematics.
Guest speakers Include:
Soledad Patiño, Global Skills Academy Coordinator, Section of Youth, Literacy and Skills Development, UNESCO
Maryjacob Okwuosa, Youth Leader, The Global Partnership for Education
Jaïri Terpstra, Global Future of Work Manager – Youth
Cecilia (Thea) Soriano, Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education
Amy Parker, Senior Learning through Play Advisor, Save the Children
Moderator:
Alice Mukashyaka, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow
Spotlight 3: Preparing for the future of work
21 February, 9:00-10:00am ET
Imagine if all young people worldwide entered the workplace with the right skills, experiences, and resources. The potential for their personal development – and global progress – would be unlimited. From raising productivity and reducing inequality to creating businesses and improving communities, there’s no end to the benefits their talents and ideas could bring. However, young people today face extraordinary economic, social, and cultural challenges and demographic shifts, technological advances, and climate change which brings additional challenges.
Guest speakers Include:
Matthieu Cognac, Senior Multilateral Cooperation Advisor, International Labour Organization
Ruth Khakame, ITUC Africa Youth Chair
Sue Duke, Vice President, Head of Global Public Policy & Economic Graph, Linkedin
Mona Iddrisu, Head of youth employment and skills at Africa Center for Economic Transformation (ACET)
Moderator:
Saru Duckworth, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow
Spotlight 4: Renewing multilateralism and the rising prominence of Africa
22 February, 9:00-10:10am ET
With global demographic and economic dynamics shifting, the future will be heavily concentrated in Africa. The continent will play a key role for any future efforts in global cooperation. Considering the current challenges to multilateralism, greater African leadership and innovation are needed to inspire new multilateral formats and approaches, with a focus on next and future generations.
Guest speakers Include:
Landry Signé, Senior Fellow, Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings Institution
Jawhratelkmal Kanu, Founding member, Sudanese Women Economists Association (SWEA)
Nathalie Gabala, Executive Director, Pan-African Programs Mastercard Foundation
Emmanuel Ametepey, Executive Director of Youth Advocates Ghana and Convener of the African Youth SDGs Summit
Mayowa Kuyoro, Partner, McKinsey Nigeria
Moderator:
Kelechi Achinonu, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow
Spotlight 5: How innovations in technology and storytelling can help us break through
23 February, 9:00-10:10am ET
Looking into the future is always challenging, especially as progress on the Sustainable Development Goals has stagnated during the pandemic. The promise of emerging technologies and communications can help break through bureaucratic and political hurdles stalling progress and stretch our imagination to achieve ambitious progress.
Guest speakers Include:
Hilary Smith, EVP Corporate Social Responsibility, NBCUniversal
Ileri Jaiyeoba, Creative Producer, Code Red Co
Jonah Kessel, Deputy Director, Opinion Video, The New York Times
Olasumbo Olaniyi, Researcher, African Contemporary Institute of Design and African Futures Institute
Nneka Norville, Global Marketing Communications Executive, Nike
Moderator:
Anita Dywaba, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow
Spotlight 6: Meeting the challenge of climate change
24 February, 9:00-10:10am ET
Despite more than three decades of global climate diplomacy efforts, a meaningful consensus about which strategies work best in response to the crisis remains elusive. Meanwhile, the likelihood of crossing the 1.5 degrees above the preindustrial levels threshold in the next five years is steadily rising, and national and global security risks induced by climate are multiplying.
Guest speakers Include:
Daniel Sherrell, Author of Warmth: Coming of Age at the End of Our World
Shuva Raha, Head, New Initiatives at Council on Energy, Environment and Water
Jonathan Moyer, Associate Director, Pardee Center for International Futures
Indu Murthy, Head of Climate Environment and Sustainability, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy
Moderator:
Butti Almheiri, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow
Spotlight 7: Thinking, Planning and Acting for Future Generations
27 February, 9:00-10:00am ET
Unexpected crises and the pressing development needs of today tend to take center stage in political discourse, at the expense of matters of the future. 10.9 billion people are likely to be born this century, mostly in low and middle income countries, while richer countries still control and consume the overwhelming majority of global resources. Any future generations agenda must reconcile this imbalance and reimagine how the multilateral system can deliver for future generations.
Guest speakers Include:
Aarathi Krishnan, Strategic Foresight, UNDP
Maxime Stauffer, Chief Executive Officer, The Simon Institute for Long-term Governance
Eiko Tsukamoto, Senior Manager, Schmidt Futures
Cecil Abungu, Researcher, Legal Priorities Project, Cambridge
Moderator:
Claudette Salinas Leyva, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow
The Big pitch – 28 February, 9:00-11:00am ET
Action Groups will pitch their final initiatives or campaigns in front of a panel of leading thinkers, activists, and policymakers for insight, guidance, and feedback. A prize will be awarded to the most creative and ambitious initiative.
Panelists Include:
H.E. Ambassador Neville Gertze, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Namibia to the United Nations
Alaa Murabit, Director, Program Advocacy and Communications, Gates Foundation
Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, Chair, International Board, Amnesty International
Meagan Durlak, Creative Director, Google Creative Lab
Courtney Kimmel, Vice President, Captain Planet Foundation
Mohamad Al-Jounde, Founder, Gharsah School
Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP
Anna Brodowsky, Vice President Public Affairs, Essity
The event will close with a performance from MC Millaray, who is an emerging 16 year old music star in Chile using her fierce lyrics to advocate for transformative change for young people and future generations. MC Millaray’s personal journey was recently featured in the New York Times.
Action Groups
Youth-led and youth-focused initiatives will be housed under Action Groups coordinated by the UN Foundation Next Generation Fellows. Each Action Group will include 1-3 initiatives. These Action Groups are charged with a challenge to prototype initiatives to solve real-world problems facing young people, based on the primary challenges identified in Our Future Agenda.
1. Transforming education
Building on the momentum of the Transforming Education Summit, how can we encourage national and local leaders to prioritize the “right to learn”, even during a compound global crisis?
2. Jobs and economic opportunities
Young people are not equipped for a rapidly changing world. What investments must be made to propel young people into productive employment and decent work, with a focus on digital, demographic, and de-carbonization transitions that leave no one behind?
3. Climate and sustainability
In preparation for COP 28, how can we support, listen, and engage young people in decision-making discussions and processes about climate change, especially across intersectional issues on climate financing, energy security, food systems, migration, plastic pollution, and more?
4. Peace and justice
In a world fragmented by injustices and conflict, the path to true peace, justice and inclusion requires a local-to-global approach. How can we provide young people with access to justice, taking justice out of the courtroom and into the communities in which they live?
5. Future generations
There are fewer than 8 billion people currently alive, but more than 11 billion people are likely to be born during the rest of this century. How can we ensure that young people and young countries are in the driving seat in the lead up to and at the 2024 Summit of the Future?
6. Gender Equality
Multiple global crises have unraveled hard-won achievements on gender equality and significantly set progress back. How could we address compounding issues impacting girls and women and collectively identify and drive evidence-based solutions?
7. SDG Summit
Leveraging the collective action of the Unlock the Future Coalition, how can we put young people at the heart of the mobilization efforts as designers of the SDG transformation process and champions for the rights of future generations?
8. Financing for young changemakers
Youth civil society is not thriving – and in many cases, not surviving due to resourcing challenges. How can we improve the quantity, quality, and accessibility of financing for young changemakers?