Baku, 4 September 2018 –With only several days to go until the third anniversary of the historic new Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, the first Youth Summer School on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was launched in Azerbaijan. Taking place from 4-6 September 2018, the event has brought together over 50 young enthusiasts, passionate about world affairs and eager to make the world a better place to live. Hosted at the Binagadi Youth House in Baku, the Summer School is the first highlight of a new project that UNDP and the Ministry of Youth and Sport have jointly initiated. The two-year project is to help create new platforms to support an active youth engagement in global policy debates and in drawing innovative solutions to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Speaking at the opening of the Youth Summer School today, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Alessandro Fracassetti emphasised: “It is no secret that the success of this new Global Agenda will very much depend on strong partnerships between young people and all stakeholders so that the challenges faced by youth are addressed, their contributions recognised and their voices heard at all levels of decision-making.  Young people are catalysers of progress. Their knowledge, reach and innovative solutions are essential if sustainable development is to be realised.”

In Azerbaijan, where young people constitute 27 percent of the country’s total population, the demand for bolstering youth participation in development and decision-making processes is on the rise. Tapping on this demand, UNDP and the Government of Azerbaijan recognise the importance of working together with youth and for youth as they create new paradigms for youth civic engagement.

In this spirit, the new joint project is set to explore opportunities for more robust youth mainstreaming in Azerbaijan through the expansion of the Model UN movement, raising the awareness of young men and women about the Global Goals and the establishment of the network of 17 Youth Ambassadors, each representing a specific Global Goal. As part of the new initiative, UNDP and the Government of Azerbaijan also seek to leverage the power of volunteerism and volunteers to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs.

Contact information:

For questions, please contact Arzu Jafarli, Communications and External Relations Analyst for UNDP in Azerbaijan at arzu.jafarli@undp.org