Youth Empowerment, Partnerships and the Private Sector: Essentials for SDG Success

Bolun_and_Haoliang_Xu

Bolun Li (right) with Haoliang Xu, assistant secretary general of the United Nations, at UN Headquarters

Published November 19, 2015, last updated on June 3, 2020 under Voices of DGHI

By Bolun Li, second year MSc-GH student

On September 25-27, world leaders from more than 190 member countries gathered at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in New York and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I was blessed with the opportunity to participate at the Summit and attend various conference sessions. 

The SDGs are quite exciting, but how can we interpret them? And how can we move from agenda to implementation? I would like to take the chance to reflect on my thoughts from the summit.

With 17 general goals and 169 specific indicators, the UN SDGs were officially adopted to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2000 to 2015, which included eight goals. 

Compared with MDGs, SDGs are more comprehensive plans, addressing not only fundamental needs such as health, education and poverty, but also defining issues including economic growth, climate change and inclusive society. MDGs mainly focus on developing countries, while SDGs address the needs of both developing and developed nations. MDGs involve finance in terms of billions, while SDGs will attract trillions. MDGs rely on the leading role of public sector and official development assistance, while SDGs highlight the role of private sector and civil society.

So the question is, with these ambitious visions, how can we take actions to achieve our goals? 

I believe it is a huge topic, but I would say that youth empowerment, effective partnership and engagement of civil society and private sector are among the most essential solutions. 

Youth Empowerment

UNESCO estimates that over half of the world population now is below 30 years old, and 89.7% of these young people live in developing countries. Many countries lack education and employment opportunities for young people, and it is very difficult for young people to get enough financial and technical support for what they want to achieve, which results in conflict, deeper poverty and less economic growth. Many of the other SDGs also relate to youth issues. So there is no doubt youth empowerment should be considered as a priority in terms of financing development projects. 

To contribute to this issue, I started the initiative “Asia Pacific Young Leaders Partnership” with my colleagues from over 15 countries in Asia Pacific, working on capacity development of young leaders around the region. We hope that young people can be more equipped with skills and opportunities to serve their communities with our efforts and raise their voice in the international stage. 

Effective Partnerships

Effective partnerships are also critical. During the SDG summit, Andrew Steer, the president of the World Resource Institute, commented, “There is not a lack of partnership, but a lack of partnership that works.” To make partnerships effective, a framework that encourages each stakeholder to perform to their best potential is essential, which applies to public private partnerships, partnerships among countries and all other kinds of partnerships. In my mind, effective partnerships require rigorous monitoring and evaluation as well as creative thinking.

Engagement of Civil Society and Private Sector

When world leaders came up with MDGs, private sector was not a priority in their minds. However, the role of the private sector in development has grown dramatically. The amount of private investment has far exceeded that of official development assistance (ODA) and is now leading the development financing agenda. Ericsson, Unilever, UBS and many other companies and banks have played a vital role in the development discussion. 

On September 26, more than 300 CEOs and civil society leaders attended the United Nations Private Sector Forum and made commitments for the new SDGs agenda. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his promise to realize universal internet access through Internet.org. Many are convinced that business can make a difference in development by adopting inclusive business models and operating in an eco-sensitive way.

So now, do you have a better idea of actions you might want to pursue? Wait. The first action you need to take is to remember all the 17 Goals. Let’s do this together: end poverty in all its forms, end hunger, ensure healthy lives, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, etc. Are you ready, folks?