The report “Voices of Youth: Young People’s Perspectives on the 2024 Summit of the Future & the Acceleration of the 2030 Agenda” is a consolidation of inputs from young people, gathering their innovative ideas and bold action needed to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation.  This report was prepared in anticipation of the Summit of the Future and aims to enhance coordination amongst all actors supporting youth engagement and consultations in the context of SDG implementation and review. It spotlights promising practices, solutions, and recommendations. 

Interpeace welcomed the opportunity to contribute some brief lessons from our in-country and policy work to the “Voices of Youth: Young People’s Perspectives on the 2024 Summit of the Future & the Acceleration of the 2030 Agenda” report. It is our firm belief that the Pact for the Future should not overlook the needs of young people in the present in favour of future generations yet unborn: it is the agency and leadership of youth now, as well as of future youth cohorts, that will determine the shape of the future. Young people are concerned about a wide range of issues and their voices should not be confined to a specific chapter. The Pact must therefore reflect the cross-cutting reality of young people’s lives. To support youth in a systematic way, we suggest that the Pact adopts two approaches. First, young people must be at the heart of designing and owning the words of this Pact so that it carries their voice, conviction, and legitimacy. Second, this cannot be a document set in stone, but instead it must incorporate built-in opportunities for reflection, review, and revision by the generations for which this Pact will be intended. This is what will keep the Pact alive, relevant, and responsive.