PRME Elevates Youth Voices at the UN Summit of the Future

Last week, world leaders, international organizations, civil society, and youth representatives gathered at the UN for the Summit of the Future - a high-level global event aimed at addressing pressing global challenges and shaping a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future for all. The summit was designed to strengthen multilateral cooperation and drive transformative solutions for the world's most urgent issues, including climate change, inequality, and global peace. PRME was honored to host two official side events to the Summit of the Future on Friday, 20 September, as part of the Youth and Future Generations theme.

First, PRME partnered with the Higher Education for Good Foundation (HE4G) for an online side-event titled “Elevating Youth Voices: Shaping Responsible Leadership for a Sustainable Future.” This event was designed to present preliminary findings pulled together by experts from the PRME community analyzing data from HE4G’s Youth Talks initiative, a consultation involving over 45,000 young people. These preliminary findings highlighted the sustainability mindsets and values shaping the next generation of leaders. They also provided valuable data on how youth perceive leadership, sustainability, and the role of technology in their well-being, offering critical guidance for educators, policymakers, and the private sector to reimagine education for responsible leadership.

The session centered on empowering youth to take leadership roles in the global sustainability agenda, underscoring the need for young people to have a seat at the table in shaping a sustainable future. PRME’s global network of Signatories and experts also emphasized the importance of using data-driven insights to transform higher education, ensuring that educational programs respond to the demands of youth and align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The discussion highlighted the critical need for institutional accountability, with higher education institutions being called upon to regularly report on their progress toward the SDGs, fostering transparency and real change.

Additionally, PRME hosted an in-person side event at the UN Headquarters titled “Accelerating Opportunities for Young People - Transforming Responsible Leadership Education Together.” Organized in partnership with the UN Global Compact and the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the UN, the event was led by youth and brought together leaders from various sectors to tackle the mismatch between what educational institutions are offering and what the private sector and students need for the future workforce. With 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 worldwide, discussions focused on creating meaningful opportunities for youth engagement through responsible leadership education. Participants emphasized that tokenistic approaches to youth engagement must be replaced with concrete actions that create real impact.

Key issues raised during the event included the need for responsible leadership to amplify young voices, the importance of rethinking education beyond schools to include communities and families, and the role of the private sector in shaping education. Several youth representatives also discussed the importance of addressing systemic inequalities that replicate structures of exclusion, stressing that education must adapt to different contexts and be inclusive of marginalized populations such as women, indigenous communities, and people with disabilities. Another crucial point was the link between SDG 4 (Education) and SDG 5 (Gender), with gender equality recognized as essential to achieving educational goals.

In terms of actionable recommendations, stakeholders were called upon to engage youth meaningfully in all decision-making processes, ensuring they are involved from the outset rather than after decisions have been made. Policymakers were urged to invest in education that provides dynamic skills for the future, particularly digital and green skills. The private sector was also called upon to collaborate more closely with academic institutions to align educational curricula with real-world demands, ensuring that education for sustainable development continues to play a central role in climate action efforts. Finally, participants underscored the need to support diverse populations and foster inclusivity in leadership education, as well as to continue building pathways for youth to actively shape a more sustainable and equitable world.

PRME’s presence at the Summit of the Future reinforced its commitment to driving meaningful partnerships and regional collaboration. These side events served as a rallying call for institutions, governments, and organizations to work together to empower the next generation of responsible leaders and ensure education is a force for sustainable development worldwide.