UNEP Youth Forum

On Friday, September 20, the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP hosted the Youth Forum in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Opportunities for SDGs, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), and the International Labor Organization (ILO), supported by the governments of Oman and Hungary. Held at the Estonian House in NYC, the forum emphasized the role of youth in the multilateral environmental system and the importance of intergenerational collaboration for a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

PhD student Ogla Skaredina, of the School of Public Policy at Northeastern University was the main organizer and key to the success of the forum. Featuring remarks by Executive Director of UNEP Inger Andersen, Abdullah Al Amri – Chairman of the Environment Authority of Oman, and the President of the Seventh Session of the UN Environment Assembly, the event brought together young leaders to participate in a workshop on the future of green jobs for the youth and the challenges and opportunities associated with them.

Attendees of the forum listened to innovative and insightful panels and participated in open discussions on how to bridge the gap between green skills and the workplace, strengthen the science-policy interface, and rethink education to give youth the skills to enter a green workforce.

Participants left the forum with new knowledge and new connections. As the organizer, Olga Skaredina closed her speech with a sense of “collective optimism: and inspired audience members to ask questions, make change, and drive innovation in the pursuit of a more equitable and sustainable future.