The 2023 Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) Youth Forum will be organized ahead of APFSD in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Regional CSOs Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM), and the APFSD Youth Forum Co- Conveners – Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Youth LEAD, & YPEER Asia Pacific Centre, as a preparatory meeting for the APFSD.
This year, the Youth Forum will be held in a hybrid modality from 18-20 March 2023 with the theme, “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with young people at the forefront”. The forum will bring together youth-led and youth serving organizations representing diverse age-groups of adolescents and youth, under the age of 30, to discuss and deliberate on the theme of the 10th APFSD.
The forum aims to:
* Ensure young people’s voices, their realities are included, in setting the regional agenda on sustainable development through the development of the Regional Youth Call to Action;
* Empower young people through meaningful interactions and conversations between various stakeholders, including UN agencies, Member States, youth-led and youth-serving organizations, to realize the commitments around the SDGs;
* Approach the sustainable development agenda with an intersectional, youth, human rights and justice lens, to address systemic and structural issues affecting the realization of the SDGs in the region
* Create a platform for young people, learning, sharing, capacity strengthening, and meaningful engagement
* Review the previous AFPSD Regional Youth Declaration and push forward the advocacy at the national level.
Key cluster goals under discussion include SDG 3 (Health & Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitization), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 9 (Industry, Innovation, Infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
APPLICATION IS OPEN TO THOSE WHO ARE:
1. Below 30 years of age.
2. Is progressive and believes in human rights-based approaches.
3. Demonstrates unique strengths in the application that is relevant to SDGs under review as part of 9th APFSD.
4. Shows understanding of SDGs at the country or regional level.
5. Individuals from marginalized / socially excluded groups, communities and applications from far to reach places will be prioritized to ensure diversity and inclusion in participation at the APFSD Youth Forum.
6. Considerations will also be given to the individuals who have been part of previous APFSD youth Forums and contributed to previous APFSD Call to Action OR have attended the intergovernmental APFSD in the past.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Application deadline: 31 December 2022 (12 Midnight, Thailand time)
2. Please mention if you require interpretation services in the application form. Conveners of the Youth Forum will try and accommodate your request to the best of our ability.
3. If you are below 18 and you are selected to participate in the Youth Forum, you will be requested to provide consent from your parent/guardian in the later process.
4. If you have any questions, contact us through [email protected].
bit.ly/YouthForum2023
