Mercy at the ECOSOC Youth Forum

The MGA Team recently attended the ECOSOC Youth Forum, which took place at the UN in New York from the 14-16th April, focusing on bringing young leaders together to share their efforts around the world and lead the way forward for development.

The theme of the 2026 Forum was "Innovate, Unite and Transform: Youth Shaping the Road to 2030". This theme was highlighted by several plenary councils on different Social Development Goals, including SDG 6 - clean water and sanitation, SDG 7 – affordable and clean energy, as well as regional dialogues, panel discussions and important side events about a range of different topics.

During one of the panel discussions on youth leadership as a critical force in shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for all, youth leader Laurel Patterson from UNDP shared a statement that the MGA office found extremely impactful. She spoke about youth in communities facing crisis and stated, “We must stop congratulating youth who are living in injustice. Their success does not take away the responsibility to answer the injustice, which should not fall entirely on the shoulders of young people.”

ENDS

Source: MGA Newsletter Issue #95