On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, Champions for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Youth in collaboration with the SDGs Kenya Forum, the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, the National Youth Council, the UNESCO Youth Forum Kenya and the International Economic Partnerships and Frameworks Coordination Directorate, State Department for Economic Planning hosted the Youth Localizing the Pact for the Future (Part 1) webinar.
This was in an effort to localize the inter-governmentally negotiated, action-oriented Pact for the Future, the global digital compact and the declaration on future generations adopted during the Summit of the Future in September 2024. The Pact for the Future contains chapters on sustainable development and financing for development; international peace and security; science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation; youth and future generations; and transforming global governance. The goal of the webinar was to provide a platform for young people to engage with their peers and other stakeholders on the Pact of the Future, its annexes and how this can be leveraged to accelerate SDGs implementation in Kenya and beyond.
Key speakers present include:
• Samuel Budoi, Chairperson of the Board, Champions for SDGs Youth
• Florence Syevuo, Executive Director, SDGs Kenya Forum
• Mr. Ngandeu Ngatta Hugue, Head of Program – SHS, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa
• Stephen Gichohi, Youth Advisor, United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office
• Gloria Wawira, CEO, National Youth Council
• William Komu, Director, Economic Planning -International Economic Partnerships and Frameworks Coordination Directorate, State Department for Economic Planning
The keynote speaker was Mr. Themba Kalua, Director, Pact for the Future Implementation, Executive Office of the Secretary General, United Nations
We also had a youth panel moderated by Timothy Gachucha, Youth Partnerships Specialist, SDG Youth and involving the following panelists:
- Linda Akitela, UN Youth Representative Kenya (AUNYD); Youth Researcher AU-EU Youth Voices Lab
- Imelda Achieng’, CEO, Kenya Parliamentary Caucus on SDGs and Business
- John Linus, Chairperson, UNESCO Youth Forum Kenya
The webinar also raised the levels of awareness of participants on the role of youth and highlighted opportunities for them to contribute to the implementation of the Pact for the Future. You can learn more about the Pact for the Future and other resourceful publications on Sustainable Development here: https://champions4sdgs.org/publications/
