FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 28 April 2023 – Noting the crucial role young people play in transforming the UN 2030 Agenda 2030 into reality, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) partnered with the Global Youth Network (GYN) from 25-26 April to support the virtual participation of 50 youth leaders in Sierra Leone in the 2023 Economic Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum  as well as to track the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation from the perspective of the Sierra Leonean youth.

Held on the theme: ‘Accelerating the COVID-19 recovery and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda with and for youth’, the 2023 annual Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum provided a platform for young people to voice their views and proffer concrete actions on how to transform their communities and the world into a more sustainable, fairer, and greener place where every person can thrive with no one left behind.

The two-day event featured interactive discussions among young people with a substantive focus on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), partnerships for the goals (SDG17) as well as the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)progress.

“Seeing young people on a global platform amplifying the burning issues affecting us as a group is so satisfying,” said Alie Conteh, a youth leader. Witnessing the Youth Forum for the first time, Ruth Neneh expressed, “heartfelt gratitude to UNFPA and GYN for giving me the opportunity to be among world changers who happened to be young people. I am inspired.”

Addressing the participants at the end of the two-day event, UNFPA Representative, Ms. Nadia Rasheed said, the voices of young people are critical in strengthening the work of UNFPA. Impressed by the commitments and contributions of young people in achieving youth-specific SDG targets, Ms. Rasheed expressed her satisfaction with the young people’s interventions in their communities, especially in the post COVID-19 recovery.

The ECOSOC Youth Forum has evolved into a key platform where young people, high- level Government representatives and other stakeholders contribute to policy discussions through their ideas, solutions, and innovations to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs.

Media Contacts:

Islander Kabia | Communications Unit| UNFPA Sierra Leone | e-mail: ikabia@unfpa.org