Description
The 4th Asian Youth Forum (AYF4) will be held on 10-12 August 2016 in ADB headquarters in celebration of the UN International Youth Day on 12 August 2016. Under the theme, “Youth for Global Goals”, AYF4 will focus on enabling youth to contribute to the new 2030 global agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recognizing that the current generation of young people will mature during the period covered by the SDGs, ADB Youth for Asia (YFA) has committed to empower youth to contribute to the new set of goals. Youth for Global Goals (Y4GG) also refers to the initiative launched in partnership with AIESEC. In addition, AYF4 will also serve as a culmination of the 2nd Asia-Pacific Youth Exchange (APYE2), an innovative capacity-building program for youth on the SDGs.
A. Knowledge sessions
The AYF4 Knowledge Sessions will cover the 5 Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships. These 5 Ps are identified in the UN TWGY report, Switched On: Youth at the Heart of Sustainable Development Goals as the 5 subtopics of the SDGs. Each session features a common approach: (i) youth input, (ii) multi-stakeholder panel discussion, (iii) question and answer interaction with the youth audience, and a (iv) live youth survey.
The Knowledge Sessions aim to deepen the understanding of how successful youth initiatives on SDGs can be encouraged, strengthened, and replicated. By showcasing successful case studies, the sessions will provide context to the multi-stakeholder discussions featuring governments, international agencies, civil society, private sector organizations, and youth. Interactive live youth surveys will allow for gathering of data from the youth participants to collect insights on youth issues in the region.
The AYF4 Knowledge Session output will form the core of the conference proceedings, an academic journal, and initial findings for the evidence-based research to be undertaken jointly with Plan International and AIESEC. These research outputs will identify the common factors, required resources, and necessary conditions to effectively promote youth engagement in SDG activities. A call for application to the youth advisory panel for further evidence-based research will also be launched during AYF4.
B. Action sessions
To accelerate the success of ADB YFA engagement in ADB operations, AYF4 will provide a platform for increased engagement between youth, ADB YFA, and ADB project officers. Each breakout session will be organized in coordination with ADB YFA Youth Project Designers and ADB project officers who will identify the session’s design, objectives, and outputs such as proposals, consultations, or youth roadmaps. Action sessions led by partners such as UN agencies and civil society organizations will also provide a platform for other organizations to involve youth in their projects.
In line with the AYF4 SDG theme and need to build partnerships to help deliver the 2030 Agenda, a series of networking opportunities and partnership sessions will encourage dialogue on youth programing and youth funding for the Y4GG agenda to further raise youth awareness, understanding and action on the SDGs.
C. Youth open sessions and networking spaces
As a youth-focused event, AYF4 will provide the space for youth to lead the design and implementation of sessions. Networking sessions will also allow increased interaction between the youth delegates and representatives of ADB and development organizations. This conversation will be enhanced and amplified (internally and externally) through the AYF4 Digital Media Zone, an interactive platform for generating and sharing knowledge on youth and their participation in the SDGs.
Objectives
At the end of the workshop, participants will have:
- Strengthened evidence on youth’s contribution to sustainable development;
- Increased recognition among the international community of young people’s role in achieving the SDGs by showcasing successful cases of youth contribution in ADB operations and development partners;
- Increased youth’s understanding on their roles in achieving the SDGs;
- Deepened ADB member countries’ engagement with youth; and
- Increased awareness amongst potential public, private and philanthropic funders of opportunities to support youth
Target participants
200-250 youth delegates, youth-focused organizations, government officials, private sector organizations, and international organizations
Resource speakers
Youth leaders, representatives of ADB, UN agencies, governments, civil society, and private sector organizations
Social media
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/youthforasia
Twitter: twitter.com/youthforasia
Instagram: instagram.com/youthforasia
Hashtag: #SDGen and #Youth4GG