How PRME Students Shaped the Global Conversation at UNGA 2025

PRME was delighted to bring its PRME Students Regional Leaders to New York City for the 80th UN General Assembly, making space for dynamic student voices in global conversations on sustainable business and responsible leadership.

Representing Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Niger, and Sweden, these leaders stepped into rooms where global decisions are made, not as guests, but as collaborators in shaping the future of sustainable business and responsible leadership.

Unstoppable Africa 2025 and Team Building

The week began at the UN Global Compact’s (UNGC) Unstoppable Africa 2025 event, hosting a powerful dialogue on resilience, leadership, and global collaboration. Students explored Africa’s evolving role in the global economy, discussing key opportunities such as transforming critical minerals beyond extraction, building AI infrastructure, and advancing women in STEM and engineering fields. Hicham Mailele, PRME Students Mentorship Programme Coordinator, reflected: “As an African, I have never been prouder of my continent. Being at the heart of global decision-making during Unstoppable Africa at UNGA was truly mind-blowing.”

PRME also organized team-building activities that encouraged collaboration and adaptability, including a creative scavenger hunt in Central Park. At the UNGC Office, students joined strategic brainstorming sessions on global challenges, the future of PRME Students, and recommendations to strengthen its impact. Novia Kusherawati, PRME Students Regional Leader for East and Southeast Asia, shared, "These interactions broadened my understanding of global challenges and provided valuable insights into leadership and problem-solving from diverse perspectives. This experience reinforced the importance of cross-country collaboration and highlighted the potential for implementing solutions from different regions to address challenges in my own country."

Connecting with Peers and Leaders

Students met with Chigozirim Bodart, Chief of Staff at the UN Global Compact, who shared insights on UNGC’s history and impact, while offering insights from her own inspiring career journey across UN agencies and public policy.

A highlight of the week was the SDG Innovators x PRME Students Regional Leaders session at the UN Global Compact Office. Students connected directly with Sietske Fresow and Jairon McVea, two accomplished participants of the UNGC SDG Innovation Accelerator Programme, and current employees at Fugro (a UNGC participant), in a unique peer-to-peer exchange that demonstrated how intrapreneurship and sustainability can align to build purposeful careers. This session showed students that sustainability leadership begins early in one's career and provided practical insights into driving sustainable impact within established organizations.

Speaking Up for Youth

PRME’s flagship UNGA event, The Future of Education, brought together students, deans, and UN officials to examine how business education can advance the SDGs. Speakers stressed that achieving SDG 4 is essential for progress across all SDGs, and that youth must be central to systemic change. Justin Chu, PRME Students Regional Leader for North America, summarized a key insight, “The future of business education will be written through co-creation, not competition. When institutions, workplaces, and communities align, students become sparks for transformation — restoring dignity, strengthening resilience, and creating global impact.”

Student leaders also reflected on inclusive approaches: Mansi Kaushik, Regional Leader for South Central Asia, noted, “Youth are the leaders of tomorrow, but they are already leading today,” while while Eva Slika, Regional Leader, Middle East, emphasized inclusive partnership models that "recognize youth as agents of change; include them in governance, capacity-building, funding, and accountability."

UNGC Executive Director Sanda Ojiambo concluded the event by reinforcing an important theme, “The SDGs cannot be achieved without rethinking leadership and management education.”

Students also participated in external events that broadened their understanding of global challenges. This included; Destination Belém, hosted by the Environmental Defense Fund as a preparatory event for COP30 in Brazil. Speakers highlighted critical environmental challenges in South America, with students privileged to hear directly from Alice de Moraes Amorim Vogas, Director of COP30.

Additional sessions focused on climate finance, exploring how policy, capital, and collaboration can unlock transformative climate finance for meaningful impact.

Reflections on the Week

As the week concluded, students reflected on the transformative experience. Hicham shared, “This has been one of the best experiences of my life.” Magdalena Zaczek, representing Europe, added, “Attending UNGA with PRME has been truly inspiring. Being in the same room with top political leaders underscores the importance of multinational collaboration and motivates me to shape a more sustainable, just future.”

The week reinforced that young people are not just future leaders, they are leading today, and PRME is proud to provide them with the platforms, networks, and experiences they need to create a positive global impact.