NAIROBI, May 23 (IPS) – Amid multiple unprecedented and highly disruptive global shocks, the world has passed the halfway point towards the end of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) era. Two of the most pressing global challenges are the climate crisis and the threat of nuclear weapons. Of serious concern is the serious lack of youth engagement on issues of vital importance globally.
Tadashi Nagai speaks to IPS at the 2024 UN Civil Society Summit, the results of which will be discussed at high levels when the UN hosts hundreds of world leaders, policymakers, experts and advocates at the Future Summit in New York in September. It will inform the discussion. He emphasized the importance of youth engagement, building coalitions and movements to scale up progress towards achieving the SDGs.
“The Future Action Festival was held in Tokyo in March 2024, with approximately 66,000 attendees and over 500,000 viewers via live streaming. “This event was a joint effort by youth and civic groups to foster a deeper understanding and active attitude among young people about nuclear disarmament and solutions to climate change, which are issues of global concern,” said Nagai, head of the Soka Gakkai International Organization and head of the Soka Gakkai Association. said. Organizing Committee of the Future Action Festival held at the Nairobi Conference.
The organizing committee consisted of representatives from six organizations, including GeNuine, Greenpeace Japan, Japan Youth Council, Kakuwaka Hiroshima, Youth for TPNW, and Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Youth. Nagai said the High Impact Council reflects building real, impactful coalitions and movements to address global, national and regional challenges to the two major existential threats of today: nuclear weapons and the climate crisis.
Nagai spoke of the inextricable link between youth participation and delivering on the promise of a peaceful world. This is a prerequisite for achieving the SDGs and other related global and national commitments. Ahead of the Future Action Festival, a youth perception survey was conducted targeting individuals in their teens to 40s across Japan from November 2023 to February 2024. The survey focused on topic areas such as society, climate change, nuclear weapons, youth and social systems, and the United Nations.
The survey results were clear and provided insight into how young people perceive these issues and their possible role in solving them. For example, in a survey on achieving a world without nuclear weapons, 82% of respondents said that nuclear weapons would not be necessary. Nuclear abolition is a widely shared vision among young people in Japan, according to a sample size of 119,925 respondents.
“We learned lessons from Japan about how civil society groups attending the Nairobi conference can build impactful, beneficial and life-changing coalitions and movements to address the most existential threats facing humanity today. . This special meeting is unique, historic and very important ahead of the United Nations Future Summit. “The Future Action Festival was an opportunity to bring together the voices of young people on issues of vital importance to the global community, as the results of the Nairobi conference will be reflected in the UN summit at the end of September,” Nagai said.
The Committee decided to contribute to UN initiatives through the festival and support the newly established UN Youth Secretariat. It also aims to create momentum to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity towards a peaceful and sustainable future.
With this in mind, the Joint Declaration of the Future Action Festival has been submitted to the United Nations to inform, influence and shape high-level discussions at the summit for the creation of three international frameworks. draft), the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations. Nagai said any agreement for the future must be ambitious, inclusive and innovative.
With the theme Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow, the summit aims to build a new global consensus on what our common future should look like and what we can do today to ensure it. Build a vibrant multilateral system that can strengthen cooperation on critical challenges, bridge gaps in global governance, and reaffirm existing commitments, including the SDGs, to positively impact lives. Future summits will create conditions that will make it easier to achieve rapid implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Affirming the vital role of young people in sustainable development, the position of world leaders in the 2030 Agenda is that the SDGs can only be achieved if they are of the people, by the people and for the people. The 2030 Agenda seeks to engage citizens, especially young people, “to channel their infinite capacity for action in creating a better world,” Nagai said.
Therefore, the links between civil society conferences, summits, and other events such as the Future Action Festival are all geared towards effectively addressing global concerns such as climate change, war, and worsening inequality. Any proposals put forward by the Secretary-General for consideration at the UN Future Summit will have a clear impact on achieving the SDGs.
Ultimately, the Nairobi Conference was a process of restoring trust and solidarity at all levels: ethnic, national, and generational. It makes the case for fundamentally rethinking our political, economic, and social systems to serve everyone more fairly and effectively.
Mithika Mwenda, from the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, concluded the meeting on the radical changes needed to achieve sustainable development for all, poverty alleviation and ultimately: He emphasized that “bold and honest dialogue” is needed to achieve this. It is aimed at making promises for the future (one of the expected outcomes of the summit).
Civil society groups and organizations have also encouraged a corresponding renewal of the multilateral system, with the Future Summit as a defining moment to agree on the most important improvements needed to deliver a future defined by equality, fairness and shared prosperity.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Kenyan President William Ruto praised the efforts of civil society and highlighted their “vital contribution.”
In his speech, Guterres reiterated that he has seen the enormous influence of civil society around the world. Our work to alleviate suffering, pursue peace and justice, stand up for truth, and promote gender equality and sustainable development is often done at personal risk.
He said the United Nations would “abandon efforts for peace, justice and human rights” in response to current conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and other ongoing crises in the Sahel, Great Lakes and Horn of Africa.
He recognized the importance of civil society in solving many of the world’s challenges, including bridging the digital divide and revitalizing collective approaches to peace and security.
“We need to be informed by your front-line know-how. Overcoming obstacles and finding innovative solutions requires a can-do attitude,” Guterres said. “We need to leverage our networks, knowledge and contacts to implement solutions and persuade governments to take action.”
memo: This article was provided by IPS Noram in collaboration with INPS Japan and Soka Gakkai International, in consultation with ECOSOC.
© Interpress Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Interpress Service
