Youth role to the fore at leadership forum

Young entrepreneurs deserve a solid basis for further development as they play a critical role in shaping the United Nations 2030 Agenda and have a huge capacity to change the world, an international forum has heard.

The Regional Forum on Youth Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, co-hosted by the UN Development Programme and the All China Youth Federation, kicked off on Thursday in Beijing to foster youth-led entrepreneurship and accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

The agenda, also known as Sustainable Development Goals, was adopted in 2015 by all UN member states to promote global social and economic development.

Xu Haoliang, assistant secretary-general of the UN, said young people are responding to the challenges of the day with innovative approaches, contributing fresh ideas and driving human development for themselves, their communities and their societies.

Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN secretary-general’s envoy on youth, called for more attention to young entrepreneurs, saying her peers need more platforms that support youth-led projects.

Wickramanayake stressed the need for an environment for young entrepreneurs to fulfill their potential, while also focusing on the right policies to equip them with the necessary skills.

The Asia-Pacific region has 717 million young people, yet approximately 300 million are either unemployed or underemployed, according to UNDP.

The Regional Programme for Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which aims to tackle social and employment issues by harnessing youth passion, is one of the efforts the UNDP has made within the region to help create and nurture an enabling ecosystem for young entrepreneurs.

The program has reached out and trained over 1,700 young people and led to the launch and further development of over 140 social enterprises across countries.

Cynthia Lam, participant of the program and co-founder of a Hong Kong-based startup, established a network called “Pay It Forward” to spread kindness and boost efficiency by connecting people who can provide help during their commute for those in need, especially the elderly.

She said the platform gives the product more exposure and gives her access to numerous investor resources, which are essential for her new business.

“The program is more like a bridge that can connect us with more opportunities,” she said. “We just started, but I believe we can benefit from the program in the long run.” a total of 11