Designing our future by and with youth
By Fabienne Moosmann, UNFPA Youth Coordinator in Cambodia
This week I had the chance to participate in the SDG Leadership Lab. We teamed with different partners and especially young people to find ways to adapt, collaborate and transform the way we work. Together, we discussed ways to address the issues and needs of young people and how to elevate their voices.
We called this the Youth-led Collaborative Ventures.
This week, we invited a dozen young people to engage with leaders from across the United Nations, private sector, NGOs, Government and development partners. This journey we’ve embarked on has included youth from the beginning stages of the process of creating and shaping its initiatives, rather than simply designing programs for them.
I am confident that this will allow us to explore new and more innovative ways of collaboration, where young people can take leadership and co-lead the way towards a more inclusive and empowered future together with other stakeholders.
Breaking from the past
In the past, the UN in Cambodia has put an emphasis on engaging with young people. But many young people felt it was tokenistic. I also felt we needed to do more.
Today, I’m happy to see that young people in Cambodia are a priority of the UN as they are one of the accelerators in the UN Development Assistance Framework. This really, in my opinion, demonstrates the leaderships’ commitment to empowering youth and leaving no one behind.
One of the ways we engage with young people is through UN Youth Advisory Panel (UNYAP) which has representatives from diverse civil society organizations, university groups and other NGOs. Personally, this is one of the most important initiatives within the UN in Cambodia.
The UNYAP is a platform we use to bring youth voices into the UN. Through this platform, we work collaboratively to develop capacities and empower youth to engage with different stakeholders.
Forging ahead with youth as our leaders
I think, one of the most important changes that we’ve gone through recently has been the focus on ‘youth-led’. Meaning, we’re providing the space where initiatives are co-created by young people and with young people. And we’re literally doing it today.
I’m not sure what the future holds, but after this week, I know young people in Cambodia will have a say and they will have the space to lead.
SDGs Leadership Lab is a shared effort from the MIT u.Lab/Presencing Institute, the UN Development Coordination Office and the UN in Cambodia, to find new and transformative ways to bring forward change in sustainable development.
