UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

16/04/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 16/04/2024 17:42

To Give to the Light: SDG4 Youth & Student Network’s side event at the 2024 ECOSOC Youth Forum

There are currently over 110 armed conflicts in the world, some of which have lasted for more than 50 years. In a world fraught with conflict and division, the imperative for peace has never been more pressing. Yet for many enduring wars and those witnessing them, there is a sense of despair and hopelessness. How did we get to this place? How did our ideas become so entrenched and polarized that we can no longer discuss them without fear and rage? Have we lost trust in the very institutions in place to ensure global peace and stability? Is it the nature of humans that we are doomed to be in eternal conflict, even within ourselves?

On the margins of the 2024 ECOSOC Youth Forum, the SDG4 Youth & Student Network will organize a side event called "Dare Alla Luce / To give to the Light: Impetus and skills for Peacebuilding & Justice." Dare Alla Luce, an Italian term whose literal translation is "to give to the light." In these dark times, the Network wishes to talk openly and collaboratively and put things out in the open.

Objectives of the side event

Through engaging and open dialogue and interactive breakout room discussions with collaborative activities, the Network will explore how young people, along with teachers, families, policymakers and community leaders, can leverage their knowledge, skills and competencies to promote peace and peacebuilding. The objectives of this side event directly align with the targets set forth in SDG16 (promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions).

The 4 objectives of this session - a space for open and respectful multigenerational, multistakeholder dialogue are:

  • To develop understanding of the skills, competencies and values needed to develop and become effective peacebuilders (at individual, community, institutional, national, regional, and global levels of impact)
  • To learn how the Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable development brings together peace, international understanding, human rights, fundamental freedoms and education, and how it guides us to build peaceful institutions and societies
  • To understand the role of the rule of law in ensuring peaceful institutions
  • To develop capacity for mediation in conflict. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is at the heart of the United Nations system to advance the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental. It is the central platform for fostering debate and innovative thinking, forging consensus on ways forward, and coordinating efforts to achieve internationally agreed goals.

This year, the ECOSOC Youth Forum takes place from 16 to 18 April at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The Forum provides a global platform for dialogue among Member States and young leaders from around the world on solutions to challenges affecting youth wellbeing. It also serves as a unique space for young people to share their vision and actions as well as provide an opportunity to advance youth solutions to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.

Join the SDG4 Youth & Student Network to embark on a journey of empowerment, inspiration, and solidarity. Together, we will envision a world where conflict is replaced by compassion, where differences are celebrated, where peace is paramount, and where we give it to the light.