From December 14 to December 17 the International Forum "Youth for Sustainable Development" was held in Moscow in a hybrid format.
The purpose of the event was the activation of Russian youth in interests of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as well as increasing the capacity of SDG Youth Ambassadors in Russia to more effectively promote the 2030 Agenda in Russia and in the world.
Participants were 55 people. They were
- SDG Youth Ambassadors and UN Youth Delegates,
- Leaders of youth and student associations,
- Students and young professionals.
The forum program included such activities aimed at improving skills needed to more effectively promote the SDGs among Russian youth as a master class in public speaking and a strategic session "Instagram trends in 2021 and main promotion tools". Also within the framework of the forum working meetings were held with representatives of the UN Major Group for Children and Youth, SDG Youth Ambassadors in the CIS countries and the Zimbabwe Youth Sustainable Development Goals (ZYSDG).
On December 17 participants met with the United Nations team in Russia. In this team representatives of the UN Informational Center in Moscow, UNHCR, UNAIDS, WHO were. During the meeting young people got acquainted with activities of the United Nations units represented in Russia and also discussed possibilities of cooperation in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Participants also had the opportunity to participate in an online discussion on the topic "Consultative status with ECOSOS: advantages and disadvantages" with the participation of representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, members of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and representatives of public organizations. The meeting was organized by the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. Within the framework of the meeting the experience of NPOs in the international arena was discussed as well as the participation of Russian NPOs in activities of international organizations.
An important element of the program of the event was a strategic planning session for the development of the SDG Youth Ambassadors in Russia Program during which participants together with the Program organizers worked out ideas for improving the SDGs Youth Ambassadors in Russia Program and scaling it to regions of the Russian Federation.
Results: The Forum became a platform for discussing the role of youth and youth NGOs in the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda, youth participation in the preparation of Voluntary National Reviews of the SDGs, youth policy of the United Nations system. As a part of the strategic sessions participants developed proposals for the further development and improvement of the national program «SDG Youth Ambassadors in Russia» and its scaling to regions of the Russian Federation.
