2022 Jeju International Future generation Forum

On 11 December 2022, the 1st Jeju International Future Generation Forum(hereinafter “JIFF”) is held in Jeju, Republic of Korea and live-streamed globally, hosted by Jeju Special Self-governing Province Office and co-organized by United Nations Institute for Training And Research(UNITAR) CIFAL Jeju.

The Jeju International Future generation Forum was attended by 337 participants around the globe: 56 participants in-person in Jeju and over 281 participants overseas who joined in virtually. Among them, 77 talented young leaders produced policy proposals for Sustainable Development Goals in four major areas on education, health and wellbeing, employment, and environment. Their outcomes are highly recognized as a proactive youth engagement in creating positive impact on their local communities.

Under the grand theme ‘Youth and Better Normal: Participation of Young Leaders for Our Common Future’, there are the four subtopics: ‘ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education’, ‘ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being’, ‘promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and productive employment and decent work for youth’, and ‘sustainably conserving and managing our environment’.

The Youth Leadership Training Program as part of the Forum runs for 5 weeks. Focusing on youth empowerment to advance Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), the young leaders take part in virtual or in-person sessions from September to October, and the event culminates with the SDGs Policy contest on Forum Day on 11 December 2022.

The 5-week Leadership Capacity-building Program as a pre-event was organized to deepen their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) with a special focus on 4 subtopics. The program aimed to strengthen leadership skills, exchange different perspectives on critical global issues in a policy-oriented aspect. The pre-sessions were composed of the online and offline learning activities including lectures, discussions, recreational events which were designed to guide them throughout the course, from research to forming ideas, to policy proposals at a municipal level.

On the Forum day, youth participants presented policy proposals and youth empowerment campaign videos on Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) Policy Contest, encouraging youth actionable engagement in their communities. The Forum also provided a venue where youth social entrepreneurs shared their innovative ideas on youth empowerment and sustainable development with enhancing the cultural understanding of one another through diverse programs.

This year, UNITAR CIFAL Jeju successfully held the Forum for the first time with a high number of participants across the world. In this sense, the event could be highly appraised in fostering bondage and unity among the youth across the globe and developing their leadership and confidence for a more sustainable future.

*2022 Jeju International Future generation Forum  – Full video watch here