Major Group for Children and Youth

View Original

Summit of the Future & Action Days: Children and Youth Accreditation Support

Hi everyone, 

We are pleased to announce that the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) will facilitate umbrella accreditation for up to 500 young people for the Summit of the Future Action Days on the 20th and 21st of September. Additionally, we are working on pairing young people with ECOSOC-accredited and specially accredited organizations for the main Summit of the Future on the 22nd and 23rd of September (though spots for these are very limited and may require secondary passes).

Please carefully read the information below and apply to request an accreditation. Submission of this form does not guarantee a badge. After you have applied, your application will undergo a screening/selection process led by the MGCY Coordination Team. Those selected will be invited to register for one of the 500 spots for the Summit of the Future Action Days and/or be paired with an organization for the main Summit of the Future. 

If you are under the age of 35, planning to attend the UNGA in September 2024, and require accreditation support from MGCY, please apply through the form below. 

LINK TO THE FORM - CLICK HERE - https://forms.gle/FVaZsSsXeYMhfbXB8

Deadlines:

  • First deadline for Action Days and Summit of the Future: 17th August 2024

  • Second deadline for Action Days: 25th August 2024

  • Third and final deadline for Action Days: 3rd September 2024

Upon receiving your details, we will process them within 3-4 business days of each deadline and guide you on how to register on the UN portal under MGCY's "umbrella" accreditation. Once your registration is approved by the UN, you will receive a confirmation email, which may also be used for visa and other purposes. Additionally, MGCY will issue personalized visa support letters to those who request them (information on how to request a support letter will be shared with selected youth).

Please note that no funding is provided as part of the accreditation.

Guidelines for participants below the age of 18 for Summit of the Future Action Days:

Participants under 18 years old (those who have not yet observed their 18th birthday) must be accompanied by a chaperone to participate in the Summit of the Future Action Days on the 20th and 21st of September. The registration process requires a letter of designation for the chaperone, which should be signed by the child’s parent or legal guardian. This letter must indicate who the chaperone will be, along with the contact information of both the chaperone and the parent/legal guardian. The parent or legal guardian may also designate themselves as the chaperone through this letter. Please refer to a suggested template letter here

For participants under the age of 12 (those who have not yet observed their 12th birthday), the UN requires that chaperones must be the parent or legal guardian.

For participants below the age of 18 for the Summit of the Future:

Unfortunately currently the Summit of the Future on 22nd and 23rd September does not allow for participants under the age of 18 to register and participation is restricted to those 18 and above. We understand this is a difficult situation and MGCY secretariat is in touch with OPGA and UN Youth Office to find solution and enable full and meaningful participation of children below 18 to the Summit of the Future

LINK TO THE FORM - CLICK HERE - https://forms.gle/FVaZsSsXeYMhfbXB8

Please note that no funding is provided as part of the accreditation.

MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Summit of the Future Action Days, including Youth Day of the Summit of the Future
The Summit of the Future Action Days will take place on 20 and 21 September 2024 and will focus on multistakeholder partnership and action, in keeping with the vision of multilateralism that is more inclusive and networked, and thus effective. The Action Days will bring together actors from civil society, private sector, academia, local and regional authorities, creative communities, youth, and many more. The purpose is to generate additional actions and commitments from all actors, to inspire and amplify relevant initiatives, and to increase the chances that the Summit produces sustained momentum on key issues. Special focus will be given to three priority themes on 21 September and for each of these priority themes co-leads have been assigned to organize sessions during the Action Days.

In addition, the Action Days will elevate engagement with youth – to elevate their voices and drive meaningful engagement in the issues that affect them, their futures and future generations of youth through a dedicated half-day of programming on Friday 20 September called the Youth Action Day. 

In line with the language proposals in the Pact for the Future (especially Chapter 4 on Youth & Future Generations), the overarching vision of the half-day of programming dedicated to youth (20 September, Friday) - called the Youth Day of the Summit of the Future - will be to strengthen meaningful youth engagement in policymaking and decision-making processes through intergenerational solidarity and dialogue. 

The Youth Day is being organized in collaboration with various UN entities, youth constituencies, and other partners. The coordination of the Youth Days is led by the UN Youth Office, Major Group for Children and Youth, Stakeholder Group for Ageing Co Chair - Help Age International, Population Council GIRL Center and Women Deliver.

Complementary to the topics on the second action day (21 September, Saturday), the goal of the session is to advance concrete actions on cross-cutting priorities - such as diversity, inclusion, and accountability - highlighted by young people throughout the last few years, including at the ECOSOC Youth Forum, the UN Civil Society Conference, and youth preparatory processes in lead-up to the Summit of the Future.

Summit of the Future
The Summit of the Future is taking place from 22-23 September 2024 as a high-level event bringing member states and stakeholders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future; and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively achieve agreed goals and tackle emerging threats and opportunities. The proposal for a Summit of the Future originated in the Our Common Agenda report. The report was a response by the UN Secretary-General to a call from Member States for ideas on how better to respond to current and future challenges. Member States agreed that the Summit would have an outcome – a Pact for the Future

Please note that our capacity to answer any queries is very limited, however in case there are questions not addressed already, please write an email to admin@unmgcy.org

Warm regards, 

MGCY Organising Partners