Generation17 Young Leaders Explore Openness and Collaboration to Drive the Global Goals at Summit of the Future

Each year, global leaders and changemakers come together during Climate Week and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to assess progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and formulate solutions to address the world’s pressing challenges, such as climate change, inequality and global security.

Amid growing global tensions and a stark call to action by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, this year’s UN Summit of the Future, a high-level assembly during UNGA aimed at addressing the challenges of the future, marked a pivotal moment for world leaders to address mounting 21st-century challenges.

Against the backdrop of the newly adopted Pact for the Future, an action-oriented pact promoting a multilateral system that addresses the future of sustainable development and innovation, nations are now urged to turn dialogue into action on critical issues such as climate change, AI governance and increasing inequality. With less than six years until the 2030 deadline for the Global Goals, it is more crucial than ever for young people to have a seat at the table and actively participate in shaping meaningful change in our collective future.

As part of these efforts, Samsung Electronics and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hosted the Generation17 Networking Event, bringing together three Generation17 Young Leaders and a diverse group of young changemakers at Samsung’s New York office. Through Generation17, an initiative of Samsung and UNDP’s partnership, the Young Leaders had the unique opportunity to showcase their impactful work at Summit of the Future and demonstrate how youth-led initiatives create a powerful impact in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Empowering Youth Voices Through Partnership

During the Networking Event, Generation17 Young Leaders Efe Johnson, Yurii Romashko and Zubair Junjunia presented their work and shared stories of resilience, innovation and impact, providing the audience with a snapshot of how young people are contributing to achieving the Global Goals.

“I’ve always believed that education and technology are powerful tools for change. Being part of Generation17 has enabled me to broaden my reach and connect with like-minded individuals who share the same vision of an equitable world,” said Efe Johnson, a Generation17 leader working to advance access to sexual and reproductive health for young girls and women in her community. “Samsung and UNDP have given me the opportunity to scale my work and reach 5,000 young girls in Nigeria. Being part of Generation17 has allowed me to share my journey at prominent forums and truly feel that young voices are valued.”

Similarly, Ukrainian digital inclusion advocate Yurii Romashko spoke on the role of technology and how it has the transformative ability to create equal access and opportunities. “It was incredibly wonderful to meet with leaders from around the world at Samsung’s New York office and showcase how our team is using technologies and digital solutions in Ukraine to make public services even more convenient and accessible. Thanks to Generation17 and Samsung, we are able to leverage digital tools to close the gap between rural and urban communities, ensuring that no one is left behind.”

Zubair Junjunia, founder of ZNotes, an online learning platform providing educational resources to millions of students globally, emphasized the collaborative nature of the event: “It was a wonderful opportunity to meet young leaders and UNDP team members at Samsung’s flagship store! I enjoyed sharing how we’ve made recent advancements with AI, in a space filled with cutting-edge devices leveraging such emerging technologies This partnership has shown me that when public and private sectors work together, we can accelerate progress and inspire more young people to become active participants in building a better world.”

▲(From left) Generation17 Young Leaders, Cassandra (Cassie) Smith, Senior Manager of Corporate Sustainability at Samsung Electronics America and Gwynne Gauntlett, Global Lead of UNDP Digital Giving & Engagement

The Young Leaders also took the stage at the UN Summit of the Future Action Days to discuss building an inclusive digital future for all. They shared how their passion, creativity and innovative perspectives drive meaningful social change and how they leverage technology to tackle global challenges and empower communities. By showcasing their work, they inspired new ideas and highlighted the transformative potential of technology in shaping a more sustainable world.

Fostering Collaboration for Global Impact

The Generation17 Young Leaders have shown that youth-led initiatives are vital to building a more inclusive, sustainable and secure world. As the world races toward the 2030 deadline to achieve the SDGs, cross-sector collaboration will be key to driving global change. As the world becomes increasingly complex, businesses like Samsung must openly collaborate with like-minded organizations to harness the power of technology for positive impact.

“Since we established our partnership with UNDP in 2019, we have been thrilled to support Young Leaders from across six regions and to make the Global Goals more accessible through technology. With the Samsung Global Goals app, we’re able to inspire diverse audiences to take action and have since raised over USD 17 million¹ for UNDP,” shared Cassandra (Cassie) Smith, Senior Manager of Corporate Sustainability at Samsung Electronics America. “This is exactly why we established this partnership – to create a sense of ownership for everyone and drive collective action for a better world. Together, we’re showing how small actions can add up to a much larger impact.”

▲ Generation17 Young Leaders networked with UNDP Youth Team, young changemakers from other UN programs and Samsung representatives

To drive progress towards the Global Goals, young people require access that opens opportunities for them to take action. The Generation17 initiative amplifies the voices of Young Leaders who are using innovative technology to address critical issues in their communities and advance the Global Goals. Samsung remains committed to harnessing technology to raise awareness and inspire meaningful actions not only for Generation17 Young Leaders but for all young people to contribute to lasting, positive change.

¹ This number reflects the donation amount as of December 2023