UN Youth Forum in New York, 30-31 January 2017

More than 500 youth advocates from around the world will gather at the United Nations later this month to look at how young people can play an increasingly significant role in advancing implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 6th UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, which will focus on “the Role of Youth in Poverty Eradication and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World,” provides a critical global platform where youth ministers and other government leaders, youth delegates, representatives from civil society and youth-focused organizations can contribute to discussions on issues affecting young people.

At the two-day annual event, participants will focus on several key areas including poverty eradication; youth employment and economic empowerment; gender equality; health and wellbeing; climate change; the importance of technology in implementing the SDGs as well as the need to identify regional priorities for youth development.

A digital media space, called the SDG Media Zone, will be available throughout the Forum for attendees, including journalists and bloggers, to exchange views and ideas on youth and sustainable development. The space will also feature talks by youth ministers, UN officials, the Young Leaders for the SDGs as well as youth and technology advocates, including from the MIT Media Lab.

The Forum programme, list of speakers and supporting documents are available here: http://bit.ly/2gHh2nc. The Forum will be streamed live on UN WebTV: http://webtv.un.org

More information on the SDG Media Zone, including the programme and a live stream of the events, will be available here soon: http://sdgmz.org/

Main Speakers at the Forum include:
Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly
Mr. Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava, 72nd President of the Economic and Social Council
Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
H.H. Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs
Ms. Ivana Ilić, General Secretary of YMCA Europe
Ms. Trisha Shetty, CEO of SheSays India and Young Leader for the SDGs

What: 6th UN ECOSOC Youth Forum 2017

When: 30 to 31 January 2017

Where: Main event: Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters
SDG Media Zone: Express Bar, UN Headquarters

Available for interviews:
Ms. Karen Ellemann, Minister for Equal Opportunities, Denmark
Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
Young Leaders: Ms. Trisha Shetty (Founder and CEO, SheSays); Mr. Jake Horowitz (Founder and Editor-at-Large, Mic); Ms. Nikki Fraser (Indigenous Rights Activist); and Ms. Tere Gonzalez Garcia (Founder and President, Liter of Light Mexico)

**A list of participants is available on the Forum’s website. If you are interested in interviewing any of them, please contact the media contacts provided below.

To attend the Forum and the SDG Media Zone, please visit UN Media Accreditation: un.org/en/media/accreditation

Social media:
Virtual participants will be able to pose questions or share their contributions via social media using the hashtag #YOUTH2030. Please follow us:
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/UNECOSOC, www.facebook.com/UNYouthEnvoy, www.facebook.com/globalgoalsUN
On Twitter: @UNECOSOC, @UNYouthEnvoy, @UNDESA, @GlobalGoalsUN
On Instagram: @unyouthenvoy
On Snapchat: UNYouthEnvoy

Media contacts:
Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
Trevor Gowan, T: +1 (315) 744-0067 | E: trevorgowan1@gmail.com