13 August, Kathmandu: The Nepal Youth Summit, a two-day event focused on empowering youth voices, concluded with the Nepal Youth Declaration, advocating for inclusion in decision-making, skills development, and climate action ahead of the United Nations’ Summit of the Future.
Organized by the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Youth Council, in collaboration with the United Nations in Nepal and supported by civil society organizations, the summit celebrated International Youth Day. President Ram Chandra Poudel and Minister Teju Lal Chaudhary inaugurated the summit on August 12, 2024, convening over 170 young leaders from Nepal’s seven provinces, selected through extensive consultations involving hundreds of youth. The summit addressed six critical themes: Education and Digitization, Health, Migration, Decent Work and Social Protection, Climate Change, and Agri-Food Systems, providing a platform for youth to address their most pressing concerns.
President Poudel stressed the importance of youth involvement in national development, emphasizing the need for policies that enable young people to exercise their rights and contribute to the nation.
During the closing ceremony, the Youth Declaration was presented to Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. This declaration will contribute to the Pact for the Future, outlining global commitments for a more resilient future. The declaration urged leaders to: accelerate access to empowering skills and services; create social and economic opportunities for Nepal’s middle-income transition; remove barriers for marginalized groups; and implement effective climate action.
PM Oli reaffirmed his commitment to conveying youth aspirations at the Summit of the Future and emphasized the need for poverty reduction and job creation to achieve the SDGs and successful LDC graduation.
UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer Hamdy highlighted the importance of youth participation, access to resources, and investment in skills and innovation for sustainable development.
The summit, a preparatory event for the UN’s Summit of the Future in New York (September 22-23), will see world leaders adopt the Pact for the Future, including a Declaration on Future Generations advocating for youth participation. The summit was preceded by provincial youth consultations to strengthen youth capacities in key areas.
