Next Generation Fellows 2023 Report
The Next Generation Fellows program, established by the United Nations Foundation, puts young people at the forefront of a global movement, to help shape the policy agenda, inspire bold thinking, and drive solutions and innovation at scale.
In 2023, we completed our cohort of 10 Global Next Generation Fellows who acted as a bridge to grassroots and local movements, inspiring bold thinking and driving solutions that serve their communities, which are often at the sidelines of global action.
The Global Fellows also influenced global processes and international systems with their solutions and ideas on how to reimagine the future.
This report outlines key deliverables and actions Next Generation Fellows took during 2023.
The UN Foundation Next Generation Fellows are a diverse cohort from 10 different countries, and aged from 23 to 30 years old. Their diverse expertise, outlined in their individual bios, is enhanced by the collaboration they had throughout the year, impacting the multilateral space both collectively and individually.
Projects
“The Engine Room has provided invaluable support to me, primarily through their Next Generation Fellows; Inés and Saru. This community has allowed me to participate actively throughout the year, engaging in various activities and initiatives aligned with my career goals.”
Big Brainstorm
Young leaders worldwide collaborated on a two-week design sprint to explore, prototype, and launch initiatives to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges with the support of the Next Generation Fellows.
Spotlight sessions
These 60-minute sessions, open to all, featured leading thinkers, entrepreneurs and policymakers moderated by a UN Foundation Next Generation Fellow. They informed, inspired and advised participants.
Engine Room
This global virtual platform, mentored by the Next Generation Fellows, mobilized more than 40,000 young people to turbocharge the SDGs between February and November 2023.
Engagement in Events
Fellows took part in many events both on their thematic issues and on youth leadership, bringing stories and action from around the world to global stages.
ESOCOC Youth Forum
April 2023
Six Fellows participated in person in New York. The insights paper developed through the global youth consultations was launched at this Forum. A summary of Fellows’ engagements is available on our website.
Women Deliver
July 2023
Two of our Next Generation Fellows attended Women Deliver. As well as participating as speakers in different sessions, they co-hosted an event on youth-led solutions and priorities for the SDG Summit showcasing innovations from the Engine Room.
HLPF
July 2023
Kelechi, Next Generation Fellow on Justice, spoke at a side event titled “Financing People-Centered Justice: Underwriting a systemic shift towards Justice for All”. Saru, Next Generation Fellow on Jobs, spoke in an event on Youth Skills gaps hosted by the ILO, DESA, the EU and the Joint SDG Fund.
SDG Summit
September 2023
With the SDG Summit as the main moment to showcase actions from the year and galvanize young people with the momentum around the SDGs, Fellows spoke at the Our Future Agenda curtain raiser event and some participated in the challenge to world leaders video. Butti, Inés, Mai and Saru also delivered at in person events.
COP28
December 2023
The year ended with engagements both at the COYs and the COP where fellows helped deliver the Unlock side event at the Children and Youth Pavilion. The Future Generations Fellows also participated in the Dubai Futures forum ahead of COP.
"Reaching COP28 and having the opportunity to participate in a roundtable with the UNSG was an exceptional experience, where I proudly expressed the perspectives and commitments of Arab youth in tackling climate challenges."
Butti Almheiri, Next Generation Fellow, Climate
Want to know more? Discover our full list of fellows engagements in 2023 below.
Written pieces
Fellows contributed to a series of blogs on Education, LDCs, Gender, Justice and Climate. Some were in collaboration with each other, others were also written with other young leaders in the Engine Room.
Publications from the fellows included topics such as AI, Social Justice, Future Generations, Health, among others. These were both published by UNF and other organizations.
This document, calls for urgent global action on the SDGs urging leaders to engage young people as pioneers. It was presented by the Fellows at the ECOSOC Youth Forum.
This is a 5-year Action Plan designed to power all young people, to help them unlock the full potential of their future. Fellows contributed to its development together with the Unlock the Future Coalition.
Campaigns
These campaigns included young people from the Engine Room to amplify youth voices on specific topics, leveraging international moments or days.
Protecting Youth at Work
What does peace mean?
Intergenerational fairness
16 days of Activism
In the media
What's next
After a successful first year of the Global Next Generation Fellow cohort we are looking forward to building on our momentum into 2024.
Building on the United Nations Foundation’s experience, we are now launching, with CEEW, a Next Generation Fellows India program for the next two years, to provide young Indian doers, thinkers, and leaders with a platform to explore One Future, and with our global network of young changemakers and our partners in the UN and international system to link this work to the Summit of the Future and other global opportunities and processes. It’s a further investment to amplify the leadership of young countries in the global space. This new cohort of young changemakers will work across the country, exploring the future of India in a 2100 world.
As outlined in our Road to 2100, we will mobilize through the Engine Room, a hub for intergenerational dialogue, creating spaces for young individuals with fresh perspectives to collaborate with experienced leaders from various sectors. It is within this diverse mix of minds and visions we begin to shape our shared future, creating a 2100 Roadmap that promises a resilient world characterized by progress, prosperity and shared humanity.
To further build the leadership of Next Generation Fellows (Global and India) we will roll out a training program and pair fellows with mentors who will help guide career development and personal growth tailored to the Fellows needs.
More information about the following years is available here, and the quarterly report on our program (including and beyond Next Generation Fellows is available below).
If you would like to learn more about or support our work on Our Future Agenda and Next Generation Fellows, please contact: hdharmadasa@unfoundation.org and iyabar@unfoundation.org
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