UN ECOSOC Youth Forum 2022 (19/4/2021-21/4/2021)

Last year, my dream came true as I attended my very first virtual ECOSOC Youth Forum by the UN. This year was no exception. Unfortunately, I got sick due to the amount of sleep I had last year. This year, I have learned my lesson and tried to plan accordingly. 

On the eve of the forum, I attended one of the side events - “Building youth partnerships to advance the SDGs and build back better” by UNDP, UNV and UNICEF / Generation Unlimited. Let’s be honest, after two years of a pandemic the world is struggling. For example, when the first Movement Control Order was implemented on 18 March 2020, my final and extended semester was moved completely online and it was really a struggle for me. I passed in the end which was a relief! 

Moving on, “Building youth partnerships to advance the SDGs and build back together”, one point I could summarise is children are still the most vulnerable, besides the adults but I think all of us were and still are badly affected by the pandemic. Even though Malaysia opened up its borders earlier this month on 1 April 2022, still most of us are still cautious of it. 

The next day was the big day - the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2022! This year, I managed to assemble some fellow Malaysians who are on board. We even have a Malaysian Youth group chat on Whova. Youths from all over the world used this app to connect with each other throughout the forum and it took me a while to get the hang of it. 

At 9pm (9am New York time), the forum began with opening remarks from the President of the ECOSOC - H.E. Me. Colin Kelapile, followed by speeches about the challenges they faced in their countries as youths. 

At 11.00pm (New York time 11.00am), we had a networking session. I went to the Chinese speaking networking session. Mostly they talked about SDG 5: Gender Equality, I brought my passion for mental health and children. 

The next day was the regional breakout session. I went to Asia and the Pacific. What really amazed everyone was that 12-year-old Jivitesh Gupta from India gave a powerful speech on the importance of achieving the SDGs and advocating adolescent health in his country. 

During the fireside chat sessions, we have speakers from Bangladesh, Fiji, Japan and Malaysia. All of us are doing our best in accomplishing the work we have done. Take SDG 13 for example, Climate Actions - was a hot topic at the forum but are we aware what are the cause and effects? It same goes for other SDGs as well as they are interconnected with each other. 

For the second and final networking session, we had to get up super early because of the time zones. The participants were fewer from the first one but at least from my side, it was still casual and relaxed. 

Three days of ECOSOC virtual youth forum had finally come to an end! I would like to applaud the Malaysian delegation, well done to all of us! A first of many to come!