Accelerating youth-led SDGs action through partnerships
2023 marks the mid-point in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is a critical moment for us to take stock of the progress we have made to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and determine how we can accelerate individual and collective efforts to put our planet back on a path towards sustainability.
Building on the momentum and impact of partnerships for the SDGs, the World Scout Foundation (WSF) and World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) hosted a Partner Roundtable with key partners to discuss accelerating youth-led actions for the SDGs.
The discussions focused on working together to better empower young people through educational initiatives, advocacy and evidence-based projects to further individual and collective contributions to the sustainability agenda.
The meeting was attended by representatives of international organisations, non-governmental organisations, philanthropic foundations, private sector partners, humanitarian networks and media entities, including Alwaleed Philanthropies, Akshayapatra, Ban Ki-moon Centre, Ferrero Group, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Islamic Relief Worldwide and SAP University Alliances, and featured exchange on ways to align efforts to invest in young people and partnerships to increase collective impact worldwide.
“This year marks a significant half-way milestone in the 2030 Agenda as we continue to make progress towards achieving the SDGs. While we have made progress, we still have a long way to go and to realise our ambitions, and we must do more to engage young people as active global citizens in promoting peace, equality, justice and sustainability”, said Ahmed Alhendawi, Secretary General of WOSM, the world’s leading educational youth movement.
Scouting is uniquely placed to engage young people in learning about and taking action for sustainable development, and has the potential to expand its impact through scalable initiatives like Scouts for SDGs. Today, 57 million Scouts are actively involved in the Scouting programme in 173 countries worldwide, equipping young people with the skills, knowledge, values and confidence to lead meaningful action towards the SDGs in their communities.
Scouts are already making the world’s largest youth-led contribution to the Global Goals through Scouts for SDGs, delivering more than 2.7 billion hours of community service hours since 2013 via millions of volunteer actions and projects to drive sustainable development. These actions range from climate action projects and promoting gender equality to fostering peaceful dialogue and offering young people quality education opportunities.
Scouts for SDGs, since its launch as a global initiative in 2018, has been supported by valued partners Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud and represented at the Partner Roundtable by its Secretary General, HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed.
“Scouting has a crucial role to play in the development and the structure of a nation. I strongly believe that empowering youth through volunteer programmes has a ripple effect on families, communities, and countries, and can achieve long-lasting benefits and inspire others to participate in their societies. Alwaleed Philanthropies "Global" is honoured to have joined forces with World Scouting to mobilise youth to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, effectively improving the lives of people around the world”, said HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed, Secretary General, Alwaleed Philanthropies.
An evaluation of Scouts for SDGs, which will be published in September ahead of the 2023 SDGs Summit taking place during the UN General Assembly, shows that the initiative has had an exceptional reach by mobilising young people into action and through local community development projects around the world.
“We, as young people, are leaders of the present world, making a change today for a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future. Today was truly an exciting experience to share this space with so many stakeholders who share our goals to increase youth engagement and youth-led actions,” said María Florencia Cagliero, World Scouting Youth Representative (SDGs), who moderated the Roundtable.
Participants discussed plans for the upcoming UN General Assembly and SDGs Summit, all expressing a commitment to explore further cooperation.
"The time is now. We are all deeply concerned and each of us is leading significant efforts to drive progress to achieve the Global Goals. Together, we can do even more to drive impactful, youth-led sustainable development", said Mark Knippenberg, CEO, World Scout Foundation.
Want to support the Scout Movement’s contribution towards the Sustainable Development Goals? Here’s how we can work together:
- Invest in youth-led change through Scouts for SDGs and World Scouting.
- Partner with us to expand your reach, improve the quality of our collective work and increase our impact.
- Advocate with us to call for greater recognition of non-formal education and increased financing for youth-led and youth-focused organisations.
About WSF and WOSM
The World Scout Foundation develops and strengthens the impact of Scouting worldwide by providing financial and other resources to the World Organisation of the Scout Movement. We do this through a phenomenal global network of donors — passionate individual supporters of Scouting, who give at all levels, and select corporations, foundations and institutions.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM)’s mission it is to contribute to the education of young people through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, building a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.
Together we believe that lasting positive change in the world happens when we empower young people to lead positive action in their communities.
Featuring a limited selection of photos of the participants at the meeting.
