On 17 April, the three-day 2025 United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum concluded at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Chinese youth representatives attending the forum delivered speeches and engaged in off-site exchanges, sharing experiences and initiatives in promoting the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The theme of this event is “Let Youth Lead the Way: Promote Sustainable Development Through Science and Social Inclusion ”. Experts from international organizations, heads of youth institutions and organizations from various countries, and youth representatives from all walks of life exchanged ideas around the five United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: “Good Health and Well-being”, “Gender Equality”, “Decent Work and Economic Growth”, “Underwater Organisms” and “Partnership for Goal Achievement”. 

Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, noted that the Future Contract adopted a few months ago is a renewed commitment to youth and future generations, and that meaningful youth participation will be at the heart of future decision-making processes. It is hoped that the United Nations can engage young people in genuine and constructive dialogue to fully express their views and concerns, working together to build a more just, sustainable and peaceful world. 

During the event, Chinese youth representatives positively exchanged ideas on various topics and presented suggestions for promoting Global Development Initiatives and accelerating the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Jiang Minhui, the women’s individual epee champion of the Paris Olympics fencing competition from Hong Kong, China, stressed that sports is the common language of youth. She called on people to break down socio-economic barriers and attach importance to physical education, and hoped to take this opportunity to advocate for good health and well-being through “the power of sports”, further promoting the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

“Our work is not merely about ‘power supply’, but about empowering young people for their growth and development.” Dai Tiantian, a youth representative of the State Grid, is engaged in power supply and public welfare assistance in Chile. The “Ilumina Light Project” she involved in has provided career guidance and training to more than 1400 high school students across Chile and created technology-industry jobs for more than 640 women. She insisted that under the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiative, local sustainable energy projects and youth empowerment projects will help enhance economic resilience and promote the common development of all countries. 

Pan Xindong, a young scholar in the aquatic industry, has long been dedicated to the research of sustainable fisheries and ocean justice. He shared his experience of providing sustainable fisheries training for Pacific island countries, and called on countries to offer more financial support for community-led marine conservation projects, ensure strict law enforcement to combat destructive fishing activities, and make “sustainability” not just a slogan, but a concrete action to fulfill promises. 

Pan Meng, a teacher at China Youth University for Political Science, expressed her expectation to take cross-cultural dialogue as a starting point and youth leadership capacity building as a foundation to construct a global partnership for youth development and gather youth forces to facilitate global sustainable development. 

In his speech at the forum, Liu Kai, Deputy Secretary-General of the All-China Youth Federation, introduced the achievements and experiences of the All-China Youth Federation in advancing youth participation, employment and entrepreneurship, environmental protection, scientific and technological innovation. The All-China Youth Federation would continue to promote the common development of young people in all countries through platforms such as the World Youth Development Forum and Global Youth Development Action Plan, and contribute the power of youth to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (By Li Yue/ China Youth Daily)