CONCEPT NOTE The 2023 Annual Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum was held over three days from April 25 to 27, 2023. The forum was guided by the theme of accelerating the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its purpose was to provide young people with the opportunity to present their assessments, visions, and recommendations to member states ahead of the SDG Summit in September 2023. The forum took place amidst global challenges such as geopolitical tensions, climate crisis, rising poverty, inequalities, and slow recovery from the pandemic. It aimed to enable young people to voice their views, concerns, and take action towards transforming the world into a fairer, greener, and more sustainable place based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ECOSOC Youth Forum has become an important platform for young people, government representatives, and stakeholders to contribute to policy discussions and accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. It connected with key UN processes and events in 2023, including the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July and the SDG Summit in September. The objectives of the 2023 ECOSOC Youth Forum included mobilizing youth to accelerate recovery efforts from COVID-19, providing a platform for young people to engage in dialogue with UN member states, sharing knowledge and lessons learned in achieving youth rights and well-being, presenting ideas and solutions for advancing the SDGs, discussing inputs for the 2023 SDG Summit, and reporting on the progress of the UN Youth Strategy.
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