Regional Leader joins National Youth Consultative Forum in Nigeria

20th of June in Abuja , Nigeria - Regional Leader for the African Region, Olufunke Afesojaye, represented the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety during the National Youth Consultative Forum on the Summit of the future (SOTF).

The Forum, hosted by the Ministry  of Youth and Development, United Nations Nigeria, and the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations and Networks, aimed at galvanising participation of Nigerian Youth in shaping the outcome of upcoming UN SOTF. The outcomes from the forum will serve as Nigeria’s contributions towards the UN Summit of the Future and project the importance of harnessing concrete and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing young Nigerians.

High-Level leaders who attended the Forum include Honorable Minister of Youth Development Dr. Jamilo Bio Ibrahim, USAIDS Country Director and Representative Dr. Le Zekeng, UN Population Fund Deputy Representative Mr.Koessan Kuawu, Head of Gender, Youth and Adolescents from the UN Population Fund Dr. Babatunde Adelekan, and Commissioner Youth and Sport, Benue state , Nigeria Dr. Ikeyamge Terkimbi.

 

The discussion at the Forum reaffirmed that youth are pivotal in driving change on a global scale and that their fresh perspectives and innovative approaches are crucial for sustainable development. The Forum also called for more collective and inclusive leadership models that integrate youth voices. According to the organisers, this approach is vital for the comprehensive and effective pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.

”The youth  has a lot of role to play in driving multilateralism and there is a need to harness the transformative power of young people in enabling multilateralism for the acceleration of the sustainable development goals SDGs.” - Olufunke Afesojaye

 The Forum highlighted the importance of transitioning beyond the tokenistic involvement of youth like the limited roles in social media campaigns or advocacy. Instead, there is a pressing need for their active participation at high-level meetings such as SOTF, high-level meetings, national meetings, stakeholder meetings, and decision-making tables.

Olufunke joined 300 other participants during the event.