ECOSOC Youth Forum 2023 attended by our youth leader

Photo from International Labour Programme (ILO) Youth Employment Programme

Our Youth Leadership Board Member Alison Collard de Beaufort from the USA joined the 2023 Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum last 25 to 27 April in a hybrid event that invited youth to engage in dialogue with Member States and other actors working toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The theme of the 2023 Forum was “Accelerating the COVID-19 recovery and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda with and for youth.” 

During the Forum, participants are encouraged to share and discuss their views and concerns while also providing opportunities to galvanize actions on how to “transform the world into a fairer, greener, and more sustainable place guided by the Global Goals.”

Photo from IFS Intercultural Programs

The Forum served as a unique space for young people to share their vision and recommendations on upcoming United Nations (UN) meetings including the 2023 Economic and Social Council, the 2023 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), and the SDG Summit taking place in September 2023.

As a participant, Alison championed the importance of road safety in achieving some of the targets under the SDGs. She engaged in conversations and discussions talking about road safety as the leading cause of death among young people and is directly related to social and economic development, especially in low-and-middle-income countries. 

She also focused on the SDG Champions and the Policy Briefs they developed as advocacy tools that better establish the connections between road safety, sustainable mobility, and the wider development agenda. 

The three-day event featured plenary sessions and interactive, thematic, and regionally-based discussions. Youth leaders were invited to share best practices, lessons learned, solutions, and creative and innovative ideas with the participants. 

“I’m so happy to have participated in person during the three days (of the ECOSOC Youth Forum) as a representative for road safety and the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety. I learned a lot and met many incredible youth leaders from dozens of countries. These three days have left me inspired and hopeful,” - Alison Collard de Beaufort

The Forum gives young people a voice in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Member States’ youth delegates, young parliamentarians, and other youth leaders, as well as Ministers of Youth, have regularly participated at the Forum to exchange views on global solutions and to create an inclusive, sustainable and prosperous future for all.

The Forum was jointly organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY), in collaboration with the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development, the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) and the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO).