Recently, SDSN Youth had the privilege of joining the 2026 ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) Youth Forum, held from April 14–16 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. From the electric energy of the opening plenary to the intimate conversations of side events, the Forum was a powerful reminder of why youth engagement in multilateral spaces is essential.
The ECOSOC Youth Forum
The ECOSOC Youth Forum is ECOSOC's flagship platform for youth engagement within the UN system. Convened annually by the President of ECOSOC and organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in close collaboration with the UN Youth Office, the forum is co-convened by the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) and the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO). It is one of the most important spaces for young people to shape global policy.
The 2026 edition of the Forum was held under the theme of the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), with a focus on transformative, equitable, innovative, and coordinated actions to advance the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. This year's Forum placed special emphasis on the following SDGs: SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals.
Over three days of sessions, thematic breakouts, regional dialogues, and side events held both virtually and in-person, young leaders from across the globe engaged with government representatives, policymakers, civil society, and the private sector, all united by the urgency of the countdown to 2030.
SDSN Youth's Presence at the 2026 Forum
SDSN Youth showed up at the 2026 ECOSOC Youth Forum not just as observers, but as conveners, speakers, and collaborators, embodying the very spirit of meaningful youth participation that the Forum calls for.
One of the standout moments of our presence at the Forum was the side event "From Simulation to Systems Change: Youth Leadership, Global Collaboration, and the Future of Sustainable Development," co-organized by SDSN Youth, SDG Academy, the University of Miami, Miami Model United Nations, Univision Foundation, and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung New York (KAS NYC).
The event brought together a remarkable lineup of voices: Mick Sheldrick representing Global Citizen, Dr. Radhika Iyengar from Columbia Climate School, Thomas Tödtling representing KAS NYC, Dr. Frederico Menino from Open Society Foundations, and Nnaemeka Phil Eke-okocha, Project Lead of the Local Pathways Fellowship at SDSN Youth, among others. Together, they explored how simulation-based learning and model UN experiences can be a genuine pipeline into systems-level thinking and global advocacy, and how youth-led global collaboration is not a future aspiration, but a present-day reality already reshaping sustainable development. The conversation was rich, honest, and forward-looking. Panelists challenged participants to think beyond awareness-raising and toward structural change, asking what it truly means for youth to lead.
Side Event 2: Partnerships for Advancing Gender Equality
In collaboration with UN Women, SDSN Youth co-hosted a second side event: "Partnerships for Advancing Gender Equality: Youth Perspectives for the Future." This event provided a platform to showcase existing recommendations and to explore the critical role that multi-stakeholder partnerships can play in accelerating progress toward Gender Equality and the 2030 Agenda. The session brought together a diverse panel of young leaders,including Stephannie Esther Sayo, a lawyer and activist, Anika S. Ahmad, a social entrepreneur and founder of Evolution 360, Camila Kakabadse, Partnerships and Events Project Lead at SDSN Youth, and Ana Oliveira, a master’s student in international relations and participant of A Youth Vision of the World’s Future.
The discussion was framed around a central question: what does it take to ensure that youth voices are not only heard, but meaningfully integrated into systems of decision-making?
Youth voices were at the center of this conversation as genuine co-designers of the solutions being proposed. At a time when progress on SDG 5 remains far too slow in many contexts, this side event was a call to action and a showcase of what is already possible when young people and institutions align around a shared commitment to gender justice.
Main Takeaways
The 2026 ECOSOC Youth Forum reinforced something that SDSN Youth has long believed: that young people are not the leaders of tomorrow, but they are leading today. Across every session and side event, a few clear themes emerged:
Youth need to be co-designers, not afterthoughts. The most powerful moments at the Forum were when youth were not simply invited to speak, but meaningfully embedded in the design and delivery of programs, policies, and partnerships.
Partnerships are the backbone of progress. Whether between governments and civil society, academia and grassroots organizations, or youth networks and UN agencies, the Forum made clear that no actor can achieve the SDGs alone. SDG 17 is not just one goal among many, it is the connective tissue of the entire 2030 Agenda.
From simulation to systems change is a real pathway. Our side event underscored that experiential learning environments such as our project with the Ford Foundation, or other initiatives like Model UN, policy simulations, youth summits serve as genuine training grounds for the next generation of changemakers, and deserve to be taken seriously as part of the global development architecture.
A Personal Reflection
As an intern at SDSN Youth, and first-time attending the ECOSOC Youth Forum, Walking into the Trusteeship Council Chamber for one of the Forum sessions was, simply put, breathtaking. There is something deeply moving about sitting in a space that has witnessed decades of global history, and in a chamber where decisions have shaped the lives of millions. Among the incredible sessions across the three days, my personal highlight was attending the session on SDG 17 Partnerships and Financing for Youth. The conversation was grounded and urgent, centering what partnerships look like on the concrete financing mechanisms, institutional frameworks, and trust-building practices that make collaboration between youth organizations and global institutions genuinely transformative. This was insightful for me as I’m building my own social initiative that aims to progress the SDGs of advancing gender equality, decent work, inclusive education, and reduced economic inequality. It left me energized, challenged, and more committed than ever to the work ahead.
The 2026 ECOSOC Youth Forum reminded us all that the spaces of global decision-making belong to everyone, and that youth, when given access and support, can and will rise to the moment. At SDSN Youth, we are proud to carry this energy forward through our networks, our initiatives, and our partnerships.
For collaboration opportunities with SDSN Youth, contact youth@unsdsn.org