Passionate young leaders are encouraging their peers to stand up for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global development milestone to transform the world and Papua New Guinea by 2030.
Bronwyn Kili, Lydia Dimokali, and Nathan Garry have been selected as the Youth Champions for the Global Goals by the United Nations in Papua New Guinea and are generating a youth movement towards the Goals.
Last week three champions organised a workshop for representatives from the University of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, National Capital District Gender Desk, Basketball Federation Papua New Guinea, High Performance Sports, Mission Vibe, and Youth for Change.
Lead facilitator, Kili, 19, is the president of the Youth Adolescent Health Club (YAH) and raises awareness on the importance of the SDGs.
“These are the goals which will shape the country when we will be in your thirties or forties. Do you want a future where current issues such as poverty, hunger, and gender based violence still exist? It is us who need to stand up now to attain better life for ourselves,” urges Kili.
Garry, 25, who is currently trying to establish an NGO called “Youth for Change” to educate young peers, especially those living in settlements, says, “I believe to develop a nation require more actors than just a government. We need our young peers playing such a role. Let us not wait. It is our future, and it is our country. SDGs is a guiding tool to develop and transform our country better.”
Participants discussed how the SDGs are linked to their lives, and how best they can help promote them.
They were also encouraged to recognise their influential power, networking capacity and innovative ideas and to think through how they can promote the SDGs in their respective schools and communities.
Recognising the critical importance of youth in developing a nation, the United Nations in Papua New Guinea will continue to engage with them in promoting the Goals.