From 14 to 16 April 2026, the 2026 ECOSOC Youth Forum was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York. On the margins of the Forum, Tsinghua University, the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), and China Agricultural University jointly hosted a side event entitled "Empowering Youth: Advancing the Implementation of the Pact for the Future through Universities," which drew more than one hundred young participants from over twenty countries.
Mr. Themba Kalua, Director of the Pact for the Future Implementation Unit in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, noted that the Pact for the Future calls for greater investment in children and youth and for expanded avenues for their participation in national and international decision-making. Against the backdrop of profound transformations in global governance, universities should not only respond to the concerns of young people but also translate those concerns into structured research, dialogue, and policy action. Mr. David Passarelli, Director of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, stated that the international community should establish more stable and sustainable institutional conditions for youth participation in public affairs. Universities, he added, should provide more effective platforms and pathways for youth engagement on global issues through research collaboration, policy dialogue, and partnership-building.
Panel Discussion
During the panel discussion, Ms. Nina Brandt, Head of Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications at the UN Youth Office; Ms. Priya Joshi, Senior Research and Policy Analyst at UNESCO; and Mr. Adam Day, Head of the Geneva Office of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, shared their perspectives on youth participation in global governance, the role of universities in empowering youth innovation, and the support that young people require. Associate Professor Tang Kun of the Vanke School of Public Health of Tsinghua University drew on practices from Chinese universities to illustrate how higher education institutions are supporting youth participation in sustainable development action through curriculum reform, interdisciplinary education, and incubation support. Faculty and student representatives from universities around the world also exchanged views on how higher education can create broader space for young people to express their perspectives and engage in discussions on global issues, and on how to support youth in playing a greater role in such areas as educational equity, climate change, public health, and sustainable development.
On-site activities
The side event was organized by Tsinghua University Cyrus Tang Center for Student Global Developmentand the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals of Tsinghua University, with student representatives from the Department of Energy and Power Engineering, the Vanke School of Public Health, the School of Public Policy and Management, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the School of Social Sciences, the Institute of Education, and other academic units in attendance.
