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Highlights
Young leaders paved the way
Aishwarya Machani, UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow and Member of the Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force; Bianca Goebel, Foundations for Tomorrow; and Makanalani Gomes, co-chair of the Indigenous Youth Caucus presented Stefan Löfven, co-chair of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, with a Contract for Our Future.
This Contract was drafted through consultation with over 150 young people from around the world and puts forward: Commitments by young people for the future, A call to action for all leaders to protect the interests of future generations, and a 5-point plan for the multilateral system to start working across time.
Leaders suggested concrete ways to act for future generations
Chido Mpemba, the recently appointed Youth Envoy to the African Union, and Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, and Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth shared their diverse perspectives on what they are doing, and what other leaders can join them in doing today for the people of tomorrow.
“We have to be intentional and we have to act now. This will involve political commitments to ensure that young people are included at the [decision-making] table”
Chido Mpemba – Youth Envoy to the African Union
“We cannot claim to be working towards long term goals such as the SDGs without moving away from the short-term thinking that we see from one electoral cycle to the next. This requires brave leadership”
Sophie Howe – Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
“[Young people] must also be meaningfully engaged not only on youth-related issues but on all matters related to the lives of all people, and our planet , including human rights, peace and security, sustainable development, among others. We cannot mainstream the interests of future generations without addressing the needs of young people today.”
Jayathma Wickramanayake – UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
Member States joined our mission to advance a Common Agenda for Future Generations
On behalf of 16 Member States, H.E. Keriako Tobiko, Kenyan Minister of Environment and Forestry, and H.E. Annika Strandhäll, Swedish Minister for Climate and the Environment, presented a joint ministerial statement on a Common Agenda for Future Generations.
In it, they committed to: Preserve the needs and interests of future generations, Promote the meaningful participation of young people, Safeguard life on earth and increase efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda, and Help forge a new global consensus on what our future should look like.
The joint ministerial statement was supported by honorable representatives from: Albania, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Fiji, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Maldives, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Zambia.
Read the joint ministerial statement here:
Some Member States shared messages during and after the event emphasizing their dedication to this agenda:
Help us Kickstart Collective Action for Future Generations
We call on thinkers and activists of all ages to sign the Contract for Our Future by completing the form here and join our mission to champion intergenerational co-leadership, and the interests of future generations.