From the 16th to the 23rd of September, AIESEC was present in New York for the UN General Assembly week that took place at the UN Headquarters in New York. During this week, the first-ever Transforming Education Summit was organized. AIESEC participated in the summit to share its contributions toward the 2030 Agenda as a leading organization for young people to participate in impactful dialogues and learn about how youth leadership can amplify the future of education globally as well as to understand how we can amplify our efforts and join the dialogue around the collaborations necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Louise spoke on behalf of the young people about their aspirations for the future of education and how decision-makers can provide the youth with the right tools to facilitate their leadership development. She emphasized on the urge to put confidence in young people as the right way forward to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Read more on her reflections from the panel here.
The week followed with a series of impactful dialogues, events, panels and meetings with stakeholders where AIESEC emphasized on the need of young people to transform the future and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the other key events included the Ministerial Panel contributing to Transforming Education Summit hosted by the World’s Largest Lesson, Goals House by the World’s Largest Lesson & NetApp, SDG Summit by the UN Global Compact USA, Panel on Reimagining the Future of Learning for Sustainability & Inclusivity by SAP Next-Gen & Scouts – represented by Louise Kim, Sustainable Development Impact Meeting by World Economic Forum & Panel on Youth Leadership in the Triple Planetary Crisis by Tzu Chi Foundation during the Climate Week – represented by Sumedha Tanwar.
From Left: Sumedha Tanwar – Global Head of Public Relations at AIESEC, H.E. UN Youth Envoy to the Secretary General – Jayathma Wickramanayake, Louise Kim – Global President at AIESEC & Marina Manova – Country President at AIESEC US at the UN Headquarters, New York
Panel: Skills for a Sustainable Future hosted by SAP & World Scouting. Represented by Louise Kim – Global President, AIESEC
From Left: Sumedha Tanwar – Global Head of Public Relations, AIESEC & Louise Kim – Global President, AIESEC at the Columbia University to attend the Ministerial Panel on SEL Learning for Transforming Education by the World’s Largest Lesson
From Left: Marina Manova – Country Head at AIESEC US, Alysha Alva – Global Head of Public Relations 2023 at AIESEC & Sumedha Tanwar – Global Head of Public Relations 2022 at AIESEC at the SDG Summit hosted by UN Global Compact USA Network
From Left: H.E. African Union Youth Envoy – Chido Mpemba & Sumedha Tanwar – Global Head of Public Relations, AIESEC
Marina Manova – Country President, AIESEC US at the UN Headquarters, New York
Panel: Youth Leadership in a Triple Planetary Crisis. Represented by Sumedha Tanwar – Global Head of Public Relations, AIESEC
World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Meetings | Represented by Sumedha Tanwar – Global Head of Public Relations, AIESEC
AIESEC Representatives at the Transforming Education Summit, UNHQ. From left to right: Sumedha Tanwar – Global Head of Public Relations at AIESEC, Louise Kim – Global President at AIESEC, Marina Manova – Country President at AIESEC US
Focus on intergenerational dialogues
This session of the UN General Assembly Week emphasized the importance of young people at the center of decision-making; not just listening to the youth voices but how we can include them in action. It was clear from multiple panel discussions, conversations and presentations from organizations that presented the current state of the SDGs fulfillment globally that to ensure that we are on the right path for accelerating the progress of SDGs, there need to be more intergenerational dialogues that take into account young people’s aspirations for the future and the world that the current leaders are leading.
AIESEC has been about creating young leaders for the world for the last 74 years; this week has constantly reminded us of how relevant our mission is. We collaborate with like-minded multinational corporations, civil society organizations, and governments to facilitate youth leadership development for the world.
75 years of Youth Leadership for the World | What’s next?
In 2023, AIESEC will celebrate its 75th Anniversary. More than a celebration, AIESEC plans to turn this into an opportunity to mobilize as many young people as possible toward the SDGs by collaborating with like-minded organizations. While the plan for the grand anniversary is yet to be launched, AIESEC has launched an open call for collaborations where iNGOs, multinational companies and other organizations can express interest to create projects/initiatives that develop youth leadership through the SDGs.
AIESEC emphasizes on its commitment to the SDGs since 2015, mobilizing more than 200,000 young people towards the SDGs. The organization is set to amplify the SDGs further in 2023 – its 75th year.
About AIESEC:
AIESEC is a global platform for young people to develop their leadership potential through international internships and volunteer opportunities. Since AIESEC was founded in 1948, the organization has engaged and developed over 1,000,000 young people globally through international placements and membership opportunities. AIESEC is a youth-run, non-governmental, and not-for-profit organization in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), affiliated with the UN DPI, member of ICMYO, and is recognized by UNESCO.
For more information, please contact: Sumedha Tanwar, Head of Public Relations, AIESEC International sumedhatanwar@ai.aiesec.org
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