Youth Day - Designing the future beyond the achievement of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 agenda -

*This side event was hosted by three youth organizations; Japan Youth Platform for Sustainability (JYPS), Climate Youth Japan (CYJ) and Change Our Next Decade (COND).

The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development addresses key targets including SDGs, and is essential in navigating us toward a society where humans can continue to coexist with the environment to lead a sustainable life. Achieving such a goal, however, has faced challenges such as economic growth based on mass-production and irresponsible usage of natural resources. Although economic growth itself forms a part of SDGs, this should not be achieved over the sacrifice of other goals, as they are interconnected and will ultimately increase the burden on vulnerable people of the society. Given the exponential increase in the world population, particularly in Asia and Africa, all stakeholders must seek a synergistic approach that leads to sustainable development that leaves no one behind.

Climate change and reduced biodiversity has significant and immediate implications on health, food security, displacement, and many other areas of our lives. However, this issue has not yet been effectively discussed, and multi-stakeholders fail to take synergistic actions on such issues. The deadline for the 2030 agenda is looming in eight years, and society must make additional efforts to reduce the negative impact on the environment. In the absence of this effort, us humans simply cannot continue to live sustainably.

SDGs will only guide us until 2030, and from thereafter, it is the responsibility of the future generations to make decisions and take leadership in continuing the effort to minimise environmental damage. This necessitates this side event, which provides a platform for youth to actively participate in sharing perspectives especially of those underrepresented, and taking part in policy proposals.

This side event will invite the youths actively tackling issues in different fields - climate change, biodiversity, and institutional partnership and responsibility - from perspectives of various regions across the globe. This will be delivered as a panel discussion among our panellists joining online and in-person, and illustrate what actions the youth of today would like to propose to the current decision makers of the global society.

This event is organised with support from: UN DESA, UN FCCC, UNU, IGES, and MOEJ.

(Written by Tasuku Azuma (JYPS))