We, over 2000 young people from 133 countries across the five continents, gathered at the World Youth Development Forum on August 12, 2024, which marked the 25th International Youth Day. Centered around the theme “Together for a Better Future,” we brainstormed on effective youth engagement, discussed strategies for sustainable development, shared the fruits of our collective actions, and envisioned a brighter future for humanity.

We acknowledge that the world as it stands, is far from being flawless. The gap between the wealthy and the impoverished is widening, geopolitical tensions are rising, climate change is progressing at an alarming rate, and the digital divide continues to widen. Achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls for international collaboration to tackle these challenges head-on.

We are aware that the United Nations is set to host the Summit of the Future in September, with the aim of accelerating progress towards the 2030 SDGs. Within the outcome document, titled Pact for the Future, "Youth and future generations" is one of the key chapters.

We highly appreciate the attention to and emphasis on youth by the United Nations and governments around the world. We are eager to seize this moment to assertively articulate youth perspective to the world. We are proud to showcase the actions of the youth and are truly committed to a two-way engagement between youth development and global development.

In Beijing, we are launching an advocacy for the Summit of the Future:

Focus on Global Development: Leave No One Behind

We firmly believe that development is the master key to solving problems. It is the foundation for poverty eradication, the promotion of social fairness and justice, and environmental protection and sustainable use of resources, and most importantly, the guarantor of world peace and stability.

We advocate for the United Nations Summit of the Future, which focuses on development issues and engages discussions that are integral to both global and youth development. Our goal is to build consensus through dialogue and to address development challenges through collaborative efforts.

We urge the Summit to actively respond to Our Common Agenda, establishing a clear roadmap that is measurable and time-sensitive to expedite the implementation process.

We also propose increasing support for developing countries, particularly in areas such as financing development projects, reducing trade barriers, narrowing the digital divide, and providing technical support, so that no one is left behind.

Empower the Youth: Integrating Youth Development into Pact for the Future

We believe that empowering youth is the foundation for achieving sustainable development. Education and training, employment and entrepreneurship, climate change and environmental protection, technological innovation, gender equality and cultural exchange are core issues of concern for the youth and are also very important areas for their development. The United Nations should pay greater attention to these areas both in policy and in action.

We propose that the Summit of the Future advocate for the inclusion of a philosophy for prioritizing youth development in Pact for the Future, and urge all countries to establish effective mechanisms for the implementation of youth development policies to ensure the rights of young people to develop.

We hope to hear more issues of concern to the youth at the Summit of the Future, such as how to ensure high-quality and equal education, how to empower young people with science and technology, and how to encourage young people to participate in carbon neutrality.

We expect that, with the Summit of the Future as a starting point, the United Nations will take the youth fully into account when formulating the post-2030 agenda, and at the same time build more platforms such as the World Youth Development Forum, so that young people will have more opportunities to participate in global agendas and international actions.

Bring Youth Together: Give Strong Impetus to Sustainable Development

We firmly believe that youth are the hope of the world’s future. They are poised to build consensus, collaborate in solidarity, and take practical actions to promote peaceful progress, uphold fairness and justice, advocate democracy and freedom, and contribute their wisdom and strength to the global progress and to developmental deficit mitigation.

We urge for the United Nations and governments around the world to adopt an attitude of openness and inclusiveness in responding to youth recommendations regarding the Summit of the Future and sustainable development and to provide more channels for young people to participate in the Summit of the Future.

We hope that the Summit will uphold the concept of advancing sustainable development through action, inject more financial support for youth action projects to achieve the 2030 Agenda, and open up the United Nations platform for inspiring and empowering the productive actions of youth.

We call for the strengthening multilateral collaboration among nations. As youth, we stand ready to spearhead and endorse a multilateral agenda in youth-related areas, and we are committed to pioneering the resolution of disputes through dialogue and negotiation and addressing complex dilemmas through concerted efforts to exemplify the vanguard role in driving the reform of global governance.

We express our gratitude to the All-China Youth Federation and the Organizing Committee of the World Youth Development Forum for their continuous efforts in building a valuable platform where young people worldwide can contribute to global development and global efforts are gathered to promote youth development, and for raising youth voices and leading youth actions in the implementation of the United Nations SDGs and the Global Development Initiative (GDI). We appreciate the efforts made by the United Nations, governments of various countries, and all sectors of society to strengthen youth development and support youth participation. With hope and energy, we look forward to the Summit of the Future, a global event, and pledge to stay conscious of matters of the world, be innovative, embrace cooperation, and take up the responsibility and work in solidarity for accelerating the achievement of global sustainable development and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.