• A launch event for the UNITAR Youth Ambassadors Asia Pacific Programme was held on 18 September 2021.
• The event was co-organized with ITS Foundation and KIDsforSDGs.
• Youth across Asia can work together to make a lasting impact on the planet. They can shift the way society sees social and environmental change.
• Four panel discussions were moderated by high school students and featured partners Amundi, AstraZeneca, BNP Paribas, Cyberport and SAP.

The first panel focused on accelerating youth change-making through the SDGs. It featured

• Mr. Nitin Kapoor, Chairman and General Director, AstraZeneca Vietnam and Asia Area Frontier Markets
• Ms. Kristy Wong, Associate Director – Environmental, Social and Governance, Amundi
• Mr. Olivier Brechard, Chief Operations Officer, Learning Planet

A key message that emerged was the importance of individual decisions and the impact they can have. “On an individual level, you can use your buying power to make a difference,” said Mr. Kapoor. Ms. Wong suggested that even something as small as researching brands on an individual level can make a difference: “If you want to buy a bag, you can Google it and see whether the company has any commitment around sustainability.”

Ms. Wong also pointed to the need to promote inclusion and diversity to bring youth voices to the fore. Giving voice and visibility to young people was emphasized by Mr. Brechard, who shared an example from his organization that brings in youth in a variety of ways to mobilize them as activists.

The second panel discussion focused on how stakeholders can empower students to set goals, reflect, and act responsibly to affect change. It featured

• Mr. Stewart Redden, Learning and Teaching Advisor, English Schools Foundation
• Ms. Viola Lam, Founder, Find Solutions
• Mr. Martial Jaume, Sustainable Development Coordinator, French International School of Hong Kong, and Co-Founding Director, Ocean3C

The guests talked about the importance of agency for all students. To develop as learners, according to Mr. Redden, a student needs an environment where they can be involved, discover, enquire and connect with the world – a point echoed by Dr. Jaume:

It is always about putting the students at the centre of the questioning and bringing forward what they want to learn.

When asked how to bridge the educational gap around the globe, Ms. Lam said that the most important thing was youth engagement in education. Students must have a platform to share their knowledge and experiences with others and to learn from each other. Mr. Redden, added that this was a way to empower and create an inclusive and safe context for student learning.

The third panel took a deeper look into what it means to be a Youth Ambassador and a global citizen, especially in building back from the pandemic.

This panel featured

• Mr. Eugene Ho, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility – East Asia and Pacific, SAP
• Mr. David Choa, Head of Greater China Equities, BNP Paribas Asset Management
• Mr. Ezra Yego, Lead of Global Networks, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth
• Ms. Jean Chan, Consultant, Asian Charity Services, and seasoned philanthropist and advisor

Youth Ambassador and panel moderator Annika Chu defined global citizenship as encompassing social, political, environmental, and economic action of individuals and communities to create a kind global community.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a perfect example of a global issue that showed youth that they were global citizens, said Ms. Chan, because it affected them as much as it did everyone around the world. She continued to say that a good way for youth to identify their personal links to global issues is to start small and think about things in their daily life.

The awareness and skills to support global citizenship among youth are crucial in building back better. Mr. Ho said that critical thinking skills (which Ms. Chan defined as teaching students how to “look for new ways to do things”) were more necessary than ever for students to confront real-world problems.

The pandemic exposed the divide between the haves and have-nots, and Mr. Yego pointed out that many young people are being left out of learning and must find ways to catch up. The panel called for the scaling up access to technologies for remote learning.

Mr. Choa concluded the panel saying,

All the big issues we talked about today – there are no magic bullets. They are long-term issues that need long-term effort. It means we need a lot of determination.

The final panel was a youth panel with six students from around the world who talked about the importance of grass-roots innovation and their personal contributions in their home countries.

In the foreword (teen voice), Ms. Josette Chung (Hong Kong) talked about her drive to make the world a better place. She pointed out that more than 617 million youth are not in school, and that other students can help change that by promoting inclusion in education.

The panel participants were

• Ms. Riya Mehta (Canada)
• Ms. Stella Ren (USA)
• Ms. Hanako Sakanoue (Japan)
• Mr. Daniel Wu (China)
• Mr. John Zekun Zhang (Hong Kong)

The panellists emphasized the need to reduce inequalities and leave no one behind. To do that, cooperation and partnerships were crucial. Not only has working with other organizations and movements helped their own projects, as was Ms. Mehta’s experience, cooperation can help make the impact bigger, as pointed out by Mr. Wu. To further add to the impact, Ms. Sakanoue pointed to the need to include an intersectional perspective.

The panel also talked about the impact of climate change on the lives of billions of children and adolescents around the globe, and how to bridge the divide in education. Mr. Wu described deteriorating roads in Yunnan, China, due to monsoons; Mr. Zhang focused on refugees; and Ms. Ren discussed the importance of innovation.

Concluding the final panel, Ms. Ren called on fellow young people to raise their voices:

Speak up about something that you feel passionate about because once you start, you’re driven to learn more and do something. All of that starts with the first step of speaking up and demonstrating to the world that you care.

Kristy Wong, Associate Director – Environmental, Social and Governance, Amundi

UNITAR Youth Ambassador Programme is very meaningful – it aims to empower students to help build a better world. This is in line with Amundi’s responsible investment commitment and strategy. We help companies committed to sustainable development by integrating qualitative and non-financial criteria into investing decisions, investing with a long-term view and reporting on our completed commitments. Responsible investing is in our DNA and we are convinced that this approach is positive for our planet and our clients.

The UNITAR programme is meaningful as companies in this region face many SDG-related challenges. The programme helps students learn from experts in different industries and helps young leaders to spread the SDG messages. Amundi is committed to young leaders, who play an important role in advancing the SDGs, improving the lives of people and building a better world.

Nitin Kapoor, Chair and Director, Astra Zeneca Vietnam

Youth development is one of my personal missions. I have two daughters, and my wife and I make sure that they get the best education and opportunities and have the freedom to pursue what interests them. I appreciate UNITAR’s programmes because they elevate youth development to the next level – youth change-making. It ensures not only youth’s opportunities for self-enhancement but also their voice in important dialogues that concern their present and future.

As a father, husband, and company leader, I want to embrace this same spirit at work. Our company culture actively promotes inclusion and diversity – encouraging people to speak their mind – and life-long learning. At AstraZeneca, we empower the next generation of leaders through our Young Health Programme (YHP), a global community investment initiative that operates in 30 countries. We also offer global scholarships and grants for lower-income youth to scale their ideas for better health in their communities.

David Choa, Head of Greater China Equities, BNP Paribas Asset Management

At BNP Paribas, we build wealth for others, and our strategies are in line with the SDGs. Social inclusion, fighting against poverty, and sustainability are some of the Youth Ambassador values that are also at the core of our firm. The Youth Ambassadors Programme is excellent, especially with its focus on youth and on education. We need more of the new-world generation to recognize some of the pressing global issues.

We must educate people – it is the first step to understanding the problem and finding a solution. But what is even more important is to bring people together. It is fundamental to educate the youngsters, help them to be an active part of education and become educators themselves, such that they can spread the word to more people.

Cyberport Hong Kong

We are honoured to have Cyberport Hong Kong as one of UNITAR’s partners. As a flagship for innovation and technology cultivation in Hong Kong, Cyberport’s vision is to create a new economic driver for the city through cultivating tech talent, entrepreneurs and next-gen leaders such as youth. Cyberport played an instrumental role in spotlighting 20 teen-led projects by youth across Asia Pacific at a recent World Economic Forum showcase. 

Eugene Ho, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility – East Asia and Pacific, SAP Southeast Asia

SAP has decades of experience on sustainability: we supported the Millennium Development Goals before the SDGs and was a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact since the year 2000. We touch all 17 SDGs through our work, internally as well as externally. Our corporate social responsibility mission is to empower through digital inclusion, which is what we stand for as a technology company. We have programmes all over the Asia-Pacific and have empowered 8,000 students from 850 schools. In Japan, we are focusing in SDG4 “quality education.” Many children in rural areas are not getting sufficient education compared to children in cities like Hiroshima or Osaka or Tokyo. It is very important that we provide equal opportunities to education. Youth Ambassadors are our multipliers to meet the SDGs. We are really excited to be a part of this programme.

Schwab Foundation

Schwab Foundation of Social Entrepreneurship has helped 300 founders transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world, providing education, opportunity, livelihoods, and dignity. Through the systems work of social change, youth – such as the UNITAR Asia-Pacific Youth Ambassadors – can lead deep systems change and build a truly sustainable and inclusive world for all.