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| (Image Source: Sports Bytes Philippines/United Nations Media) |
The Youth Charter is calling for a global shift in youth engagement and policy development following its participation in the 2025 ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) Youth Forum at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters. The UN-accredited non-government organization (NGO) emphasized that while the forum’s theme — “Advancing Sustainable, Inclusive, Science- And Evidence-Based Solutions For The 2030 Agenda” — was timely and impactful, youth-led grassroots solutions, especially those built on sports, culture, and the arts, remained underrepresented in the event’s formal outputs. To address this, the Youth Charter has issued a Call2Action, urging ECOSOC and UN Member States to deliver a more youth-centred and action-oriented global communiqué and elevate sports for development as a pillar in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Youth Charter’s Global Youth Call2Action outlines a clear agenda for governments and global development partners: mainstream sport for development in national youth and education policies as well as in community-based initiatives; replicate the Youth Charter Community Campus model, a place-based platform for engaging youth in sports, arts, culture, and digital learning; invest in Social Coach Leadership Programmes that empower mentors to guide youth toward opportunity, away from disengagement and violence; and include youth as co-creators, not just participants, in shaping initiatives and policies driving the 2030 Agenda. These strategies are built on decades of work by the Youth Charter and reflect its core mission: to use the power of sports, arts, and culture to engage, equip, and empower young people around the world. The Youth Charter is also urging ECOSOC to institutionalize youth input by establishing an annual ECOSOC Youth Communiqué co-developed by young leaders. The organization argues that such a document should directly feed into the Ministerial Declaration of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) — ensuring that youth-driven solutions are embedded into top-level UN decision-making.
“If we are truly serious about ‘leaving no one behind’, then young people must not be at the margins of global development discussions — they must be at the centre,” said Youth Charter Founder and Executive Chairman Professor Geoff Thompson MBE FRSA DL. With the world approaching the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda, the Youth Charter pledges to intensify its efforts. Its aim is to translate youth voices into meaningful outcomes, spotlighting sports, culture, and creativity as essential in tackling inequality, youth disengagement, and violence. The Youth Charter also extended its thanks to ECOSOC, the UN Youth Office, and all partners involved in the 2025 Youth Forum, reaffirming its commitment to collaborate with global stakeholders to convert the momentum of the forum into lasting impact.
