ABUJA, Nigeria, 6 August 2024/African Media Agency/-The Nigeria Youth SDGs Network registered as the Network of Youth for Sustainable Initiaitve (NGYouthSDGs) in partnership with Oxfam in Nigeria is set to commemorate the 2024 International Youth Day (IYD) with a convening themed: “From Awareness to Action: Empowering Youth in Nigeria for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” come August 12-13 in Abuja, Nigeria.
African Newspage is the Official Media Partner of the event organised by the Nigeria Youth SDGs Network (NGYouthSDGs) and Oxfam in Nigeria.
Among others, the 2024 IYD event will also celebrate young Nigerians’ remarkable work towards the successful realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in communities across Nigeria as well as educating and sensitizing young people to their crucial roles in fostering Gender Equality, Climate Action, Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth and Active Citizenship.
A press release by the Network said the event will also stimulate idea-sharing, promote best practices and foster intergenerational dialogue and collaboration between especially marginalized youth and youth stakeholders to foster collective action and facilitate networking between young people and changemakers with policymakers, industry leaders as well as their peers. The event will also promote alliances between local youth networks for sustainable development.
“Ahead of the Summit of the Future this September, it is important to foster a meaningful and diverse engagement among young people across Nigeria on the intricate issues that affect them and explore opportunities for growth and trust-building. Young Nigerians have shown that they can play a critical role as innovators and changemakers. They have the agency and are ready to tackle roadblocks to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” reads the press release.
The statement described the 2024 IYD as a crucial opportunity to mainstream youth awareness and participation in the attainment of the SDGs, particularly on crucial development issues such as Gender Equality, Climate Action, Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth as well as Active Citizenship, while also strengthening the youth agency and celebrating young people playing an active role in promoting sustainable development.
Recall, in 1999, member states of the United Nations adopted August 12 as a day to raise awareness on the challenges and hardships young people face as well as promote young people’s active involvement in the development of their communities. In alignment with this objective, NGYouthSDGs has since 2017 been commemorating the IYD to raise awareness of the importance of youth leadership for sustainable development and creating a holistic environment for youth development.
Barely 5 years to 2030, partnerships between the youth, government, the private sector, civil society and academia are more than ever crucial to the realization of the SDGs. The devastating impact of climate change is increasingly leading to displacement of populations and loss of livelihoods, which calls for intergenerational collaboration between youth and older generations to foster positive change to create a prosperous future for both present and future generations and leave no one behind.
Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of African Newspage.
For sponsorship and partnership on the 2024 Nigeria Youth SDGs Network (NGYouthSDGs) International Youth Day event, kindly contact their Programme Manager, Opeyemi Ogundeji via opeyemi@nigerianyouthsdgs.org or +2348162849806
