Declaration On Future Generations - Inputs and Upcoming Consultations

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the first version of the Global Youth Policy Paper for Stockholm+50 and joined youth consultations last month. We are pleased to share that earlier last week we submitted the draft policy paper to the co-facilitators as collective youth inputs to the zero draft of the Pact for our Future and the submission has been acknowledged. A public version of the paper is being finalized - thanks to thousands of young people who have contributed to the process. 

This notification is specifically regarding the process for the Declaration on Future Generations (DFG) which is a track running in parallel/conjunction with the Summit of the Future. 

About Declaration on Future Generations 
In the decision, 77/568 The General Assembly pledged to adopt a declaration on Future Generations, which if agreed upon by member states, will be an Annex to the Pact for the Future which is the primary outcome of the Summit of the Future. Therefore, this declaration is a sort of parallel track but still very much integrated into the Summit process. The process of this declaration is expected to be inclusive and involve member states and different stakeholders including young people through consultations. The idea of the Declaration is not new, and the Secretary General's Report ”Our Common Agenda” highlights the importance of turning previous commitments into real actions. The UN75 Declaration’s commitment to enhancing global governance for the benefit of both current and future generations is in line with the declaration’s goal of considering future generations’ interests in national and international decision-making processes. 

Upcoming consultations hosted by co-facilitators/UN
We are pleased to share that the co-facilitators of the process (govt of Netherlands and Jamaica) are hosting several virtual consultations this month, including one focussed consultation for youth, to take inputs for the Declaration. You can participate in these consultations and also intervene on behalf of your organization. Below is the schedule of the consultations:

  • Youth and Indigenous Groups - 15 January 2024, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (EST)

  • United Nations Agencies, Funds, and Programs - 15 January 2024, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM (EST)

  • Civil Society Organizations and Research Institutions/Academia - 16 January 2024, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (EST)

  • Private Sector - 16 January 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (EST)

We encourage you to register for these consultations, especially the ones on Youth and Civil Society Organisations. You can register for them through the common link - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfNEG2XmxgPfaufKkM88BGjIdL23V_rDu_XrgcFt5d6eWe-Fw/viewform

Please register ASAP as the deadline for registering is 11th Jan COB EST time. 

Register for the Consultations

Inputs from the SoTF Youth Working/Focus Group
In addition to the inputs from the individual youth organisations, we have been invited to submit intervention and written inputs to the process as the collective constituency. Therefore, we will be hosting a Working Group Meeting to prepare inputs for the Declaration For Future Generations on Sunday 14th January, 9 AM - 10 AM EST. A calendar invite will be sent to the members of the working group (please sign up for the working group here). 

Meanwhile, you can provide your inputs in writing on the Google document - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wrBQwWfuMhXe2OHKSXfSq-VWH8zXpuwAJXQvcHZS20o/edit 

Or through the Google form - https://forms.gle/JBbdMYZ391ESMcAHA

The above information, along with background information and reading materials about the DFG process has also been updated on Youth Hub for the Summit at: https://linktr.ee/youth_for_sotf



Background about the Summit
About Summit of the Future
The Summit of the Future will take place in September 2023 bringing member states and stakeholders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future. The negotiations for the Summit are already taking place, occurring every 2-3 weeks at UN HQ in New York. The negotiations will result in an inter-governmentally negotiated text called “Pact for the Future”, structured under the 5 themes/chapters identified in the Scope Paper of the summit. The overall negotiations are being chaired by Germany and Namibia, alongside tracks on the Declaration on Future Generations and Global Digital Compact being chaired by another set of member states available here.  Given the wide focus and ambition of the summit, it is essential to meaningfully engage young people in the process from the inception. Young people have been consulting and organizing their participation in the summit since 2022 and before (read more here) and we are excited to be able to continue this journey with you. 

Youth Info Hub for the Summit
Building on the model at ECOSOC Youth Forum and other processes, we are pleased to launch Youth Info Hub for Summit of the Future accessible on: www.linktree.com/youth_for_sotf
This should serve as a one-stop shop for finding important links and updates about youth engagement in the Summit preparatory process. We have intentionally kept the design simple to ease access even in case of low internet connectivity or bandwidth. 

Youth Info Hub

Admin Team