Unlock the Future

Date: 15 September 2021

World YMCA joins Unlock the Future coalition for young people and generations to come

The World YMCA will join its partners in the ‘Big Six – the world’s largest youth-led and youth-focused organizations reaching some 250 million people a year – in a new coalition that brings together any and all such youth organizations who are committed to working together for young people and future generations.

In the week that global leaders gather for the opening of the UN General Assembly, the Unlock the Future Coalition will mark the start of this new coalition of youth organisations, UN agencies and funders by hosting an online virtual event on Wednesday 22 September at 1500-1630 CET. This event will be in English, with subtitles in the five other official United Nations languages.

The event will mark the start of a new coalition of youth organisations, UN agencies and funders who are all committed to working together for young people and future generations.

The 1 hour-long event will be virtual with pre-recorded elements to allow participation from those in New York for UNGA. It will feature five segments ranging from keynote speakers to sessions designed to identify concrete actions to drive change. The formal sessions will be followed by a 30 minute ‘afterparty’ for all participants focused on Local Solutions funding opportunities.

Please register here. This event will be in English with subtitles in the five other official United Nations languages.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 22nd September

  • 0900-1030 – New York
  • 1400-1530 – London
  • 1500-1630 – Madrid
  • 1600-1730 – Nairobi
  • 1830-2000 – Delhi

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden
  • Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica
  • Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Sri Lanka
  • Professor Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen, Bangladesh
  • Hilda Nakabuye, Founder, Fridays for Future, Uganda
  • Rumaitha Al Busaidi, Climate Change and Women’s rights activist, Oman
  • Vera Syrokvash, YWCA Belarus
  • Okello’o Joseph, Filmmaker & WEF Global Shaper, Kenya
  • Muzoon Almellehan, Education activist, Syria
  • Aishwarya Machani, Next Generation Fellow, UK
  • Valeria Colunga, Next Generation Fellow, Mexico

The launch of the new coalition coincides with the recently published Our Common Agenda UN report that looks ahead to the next 25 years and represents the United Nations Secretary-General’s vision on the future of global cooperation and reinvigorating inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism. It also includes a raft of recommendations for empowering young people that this coalition can build on, develop, and seek to ensure are implemented.

This report comes at a critical time for young people and the health of our planet. Covid-19 and the impact of measures to control the virus threaten the prospects and future opportunities for future generations. Education disruption, employment loss, a crisis in mental health and increased gender-based violence are just some of the challenges young people are grappling with, and which have the potential to leave long-term negative impact. As we find ourselves in a time where young people are the most impacted from the current emergencies, it is our responsibility to come together to listen to their voices, hear their demands and provide our support to a youth-led future.

Registration:

Link to register: https://unlockthefuture.splashthat.com/