Around the world, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and their movements and organizations challenge oppression, abuses, violations, and more generally the status quo. They collectively work for a better present and a better future, for more just and peaceful societies in which everyone is free to express themselves and to pursue and achieve their full potential. 

The Youth Cafe is taking part in the ECOSOC Youth Forum which will take place on 1-2 April 2020 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Every year, the ECOSOC Youth Forum provides an opportunity for young people to engage in a dialogue with Member States. They discuss policy frameworks and promote innovative, institutionalised approaches and initiatives for advancing the youth development agenda at national, regional and global levels.

The ECOSOC Youth Forum 2020 will be guided by the high-level political forum theme on "Accelerated Action and Transformative Pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development"

The second African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum will draw lessons from the first African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum, and the organizational and structural aspects of the Multi-stakeholder Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum for the Sustainable Development Goals. In this regard, the second African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum will be held over a two-day period beginning one day before the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, and will mobilize Member States, business leaders, academia and civil society to contribute fully and benefit from its proceedings. In this regard, a number of preparatory steps have been undertaken in building up the African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum.

The sixth session of the Regional Forum is designed to be an action-oriented Forum for member States and other stakeholders to explore, gain insight into, share and agree on sets of concrete and workable solutions actions that will enable the countries to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 within the set time frame.

The Forum will therefore be held under the theme “2020-2030: A Decade to Deliver a Transformed and Prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”

The 2020 ARFSD is intended to be an action-oriented Forum for stakeholders to explore, gain insight into, share and agree on sets of concrete and workable actions that will enable the African countries to achieve set targets within the set time.

The theme of International Youth Day 2019, “Transforming education”, highlights efforts to make education more relevant, equitable and inclusive for all youth, including efforts by youth themselves. Rooted in Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” –  International Youth Day 2019 will examine how Governments, young people and youth-led and youth-focused organizations, as well as other stakeholders, are transforming education and how these efforts are contributing to the achievement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Statistics remind us that significant transformations are still required to make education systems more inclusive and accessible: (1) Only 10% of people have completed upper secondary education in low income countries; (2) 40 % of the global population is not taught in a language they speak or fully understand; and (3) over 75 % of secondary school age refugees are out of school. In addition, indigenous youth, young people with disabilities, young women, young people belonging to vulnerable groups or in vulnerable situations, etc. are facing additional challenges to access education that respects their diverse needs and abilities as well as reflects and embraces their unique realities and identities.

Making education more relevant, equitable and inclusive is crucial to achieving sustainable development. Education is a ‘development multiplier’ in that it plays a pivotal role in accelerating progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, be it poverty eradication, good health, gender equality, decent work and growth, reduced inequalities, action on climate or building peaceful societies. Education should lead to effective learning outcomes, with the content of school curricula and pedagogy being fit for purpose, not only for the 4th industrial revolution and the future of work and life, but also for the opportunities and challenges that rapidly changing social contexts bring.

The Youth Cafe is taking part in the first session of the UN-Habitat Assembly will be held from 27-31 May 2019, at the headquarters of UN-Habitat in Nairobi. The special theme for the UN-Habitat Assembly, as discussed during the twenty-first meeting of the Subcommittee on Policy and Programme of Work of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) held on 30 November 2018 and endorsed during the 71stRegular meeting of the CPR on 4 December 2018 is: “Innovation for Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities”.  The CPR also endorsed the Sub theme as: “Accelerated implementation of the New Urban Agenda towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”.