March 2017: Youth participants in the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) East and North-East Asia’s internship program prepared a publication titled, ‘UN and SDGs: A Handbook for Youth.’ The handbook seeks to raise awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among youth.

Sunyoung Hwang and Jiwon Kim prepared the handbook, which provides an introduction to the history of sustainable development, reviews the roles that youth can play in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and introduces the United Nations. The first chapter introduces the concept of sustainable development and outlines its historical development through the transition from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the SDGs. The second chapter discusses how youth can be harnessed as a major agent of change in achieving sustainable development. The final chapter introduces the UN system and its regional arm, ESCAP, including their role in SDG implementation.

In his forward to the handbook, Kilaparti Ramakrishna, ESCAP, notes that it is “pivotal that youth are informed and engaged with the global vision for the future.” [Publication: UN and SDGs: A Handbook for Youth]