The Global SDG Youth Summit 2025 convened successfully on 24–25 September at the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) in Agargaon, Dhaka.
Operating under the theme “Shaping the Future: Together for SDG 2025,” the summit mobilized over 300 participants, including youth leaders, policymakers, academics, development partners, and civil society representatives.
Organized by the Bangladesh APFSD Youth Alliance (BAYA), the summit was anchored by Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), which served as the official Secretariat.
Spotlight on Youth Leadership and Climate Justice
A key highlight of the summit was the powerful advocacy of Afra Nawar Rahman, Youth Coordinator at YPSA, during the session on “Next Generation Climate Solutions: Youth Leadership in Green Innovation.”
Afra delivered a message that firmly linked environmental action with global ethics. She reminded participants that the climate crisis cannot be addressed in isolation when global leaders continue to ignore genocide and human rights violations, stressing that dignity and justice are inseparable from sustainability.
Drawing attention to the Bangladeshi context, she underscored the need for decentralization of opportunities beyond Dhaka and advocated for the critical importance of documenting and integrating traditional and indigenous knowledge into education systems. To effectively scale community-driven solutions, Afra also proposed the creation of a District Climate Innovation Network. This network would be designed to link local hubs, mobile units, knowledge banks, digital access, and micro-grants.
She concluded with a compelling call to action: “No one will bring the opportunity to your doorstep. Fight for your own stage and achieve it. That’s the youth spirit.”
Pre-Summit Consultations and Inauguration
To ensure the summit’s agenda reflected diverse grassroots perspectives, extensive youth consultations were held across all eight divisions of the country. Notably, in Chattogram, the YPSA–Center for Youth and Development (YPSA-CYD) facilitated the divisional consultation, gathering the voices and policy recommendations of marginalized youth. These critical inputs directly shaped the joint declaration presented at the summit.
The event commenced with an inauguration ceremony where Md Abdus Sabur, Assistant Director of YPSA, delivered the welcome speech. Highlighting the central role of young people in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he reaffirmed YPSA’s commitment to creating robust platforms that empower youth as active leaders in sustainable development. The entire two-day program was skillfully hosted by Setar Rudra, Program Officer of YPSA, who served as the Emcee.
Thematic Discussions and Collaboration
The summit featured six dynamic thematic sessions, group work, and a youth-led declaration process. Discussions spanned a wide range of critical issues, including:
- Curriculum reform for green skills
- The right to clean air
- Gender justice and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
- Climate migration and displacement
- Youth-led climate innovation
- The role of artificial intelligence in advancing social good
These interactive sessions fostered dialogue, collaboration, and collective action among youth and multi-sector stakeholders.
Partnership and Acknowledgments
The successful staging of the summit was made possible through the collaboration of numerous partners. These included BAYA, OKUP, World Vision, FCDO-UK, UNDP, ARROW, The Earth, Right Here Right Now, Save the Children Bangladesh, VSO, CLAN, Eco Leader, Surge Bangladesh, Sohard Youth Foundation, and We Can Cox’s Bazar. The organizers also extended gratitude to the various government, academic, and NGO officials who participated in the event’s sessions.
Declaration and Legacy
The summit culminated in the adoption of the Global SDG Youth Summit 2025 Declaration, a critical document that consolidates youth-led policy recommendations and establishes a roadmap for advocacy. Key outcomes included:
- Stronger youth leadership commitments on issues like climate change, gender justice, and governance.
- Expanded recognition of youth-led innovations.
- Commitments to establish ongoing platforms, such as the Youth-led SDG Impact Awards and post-summit networking mechanisms.
By successfully serving as the Secretariat, YPSA reaffirmed its significant leadership in youth empowerment and advocacy. The summit emphatically affirmed that youth are not merely beneficiaries, but the architects of an inclusive and sustainable future, carrying forward the vision of the SDGs with innovation, courage, and determination.
