Our Future Agenda is a newly launched initiative from the UN Foundation

Unlock the Future Coalition

SDG Summit 2023

The SDG Summit in September 2023 will be crucial for world leaders, the UN, and the broader international community to review progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accelerate action towards their achievement. Young leaders and thinkers are essential to delivering the 2030 Agenda as they are both the current and future leaders and agents of change who will be most impacted by the achievement or non-achievement of the SDGs. Often at the forefront of global movements advocating for transformative change, young people’s energy and determination make them a powerful force in driving progress toward the SDGs. They bring fresh ideas, innovative solutions, and a sense of urgency to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Young people also hold a unique ability to bridge divides with their future-oriented perspective, fostering the intergenerational solidarity necessary for collective action to tackle immediate and long-term challenges. Their involvement ensures that today’s decisions are sustainable, equitable, and consider the needs of current and future generations.

With a reach of over 875 million people, the Unlock the Future coalition is well-positioned to mobilize efforts to increase the commitments, financing, and impact to accelerate SDG implementation. Together the coalition can advocate for urgent SDG actions and investments in young people for the benefit of current and future generations, and ensure that young people are meaningfully engaged and represented in the SDG Summit and the process toward the Summit of the Future in 2024.

Objectives

• Generate greater political and strategic impact through joint action, with shared recommendations and commitments presented to world leaders and decision-makers throughout the SDG Summit and preparations for the Summit of the Future.
• Mobilize intergenerational action and dialogue with political champions and young changemakers to increase impact, commitments, and financing for next and future generations. 
• Ensure that young people are meaningfully engaged and represented in the SDG Summit process at all levels, including through the participation of Unlock coalition members in various SDG Summit-related events and activities.

Showcase Unlock contributions to achieving the SDGs and advocate for greater investment in young people to foster more networked and inclusive multilateralism.

Are you a young person, interested in joining The Engine Room?

In Sept 2021 the UN Foundation brought together some of the biggest youth-led, youth-focused orgs to launch the Unlock the Future Coalition.

At a virtual event held during the 76th UN General Assembly, the leaders of these organizations announced the Unlock Declaration. In it, they set out their intention to join forces to build a high-ambition coalition with and for all young people and future generations.

Now, we are working finding ways to fulfill these promises, whilst embracing our shared principles of diversity, representation, impact, and accountability.

To help achieve this, they held the Big Brainstorm to incubate and launch a series of youth-led Action Groups, which became the Engine Room.

As a member of the Coalition we are encouraged to nominate 2-3 young people for these groups in The Engine Room.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

The Engine Room is designed to:

• Provide an inclusive, accessible and flexible space for young change makers to develop their innovations.
• Offer a platform for collaboration, motivation, support, and empowerment for young leaders.
• Spotlight the work of young change makers and the successes of the Action Groups in accelerating action for the SDGs.

As a part of the Engine Room you will:

• Be the first to know about any curated Engine Room opportunities including training and development
• Participate in regular Engine Room calls and other regular opportunities for networking, feedback and guidance from the Our Future Agenda team
• Have the chance to be spotlighted in Our Future Agenda publications
• Contribute to the curation and direction of the Engine Room

The time commitment is:

• Engage in the Engine Room with the intention to remain engaged until the SDG Summit (Sept 2023), as this is the strategic focus of the Engine Room
• Attend 1-2 Action Group Meetings a month (~1 hour each and the timezones depend on where the specific Action Group has the most members)
• Be able to contribute a couple of hours a month outside of the Action Group Meetings
• Attend the Engine Room Meets (there are 3 more remaining this year, and they are about 90 mins each)

Note: we do not know the details of meetings (dates/times) as they are specific to the action group that you choose to join.

Please email [email protected] if you are a young person or have a young person to nominate who would like to take part.