The world will fail to achieve the goals of Agenda 2030 without young people

04.09.18 | News
Intens debat i bæredygtighedens tegn

Intens debat i bæredygtighedens tegn

Young people from across the Nordic Region and Baltic Sea region gathered at the ReGeneration 2030 youth summit – funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and NORDBUK – where they launched a manifesto in which they see themselves as key players in achieving Sustainability Development Goal (SDG) number 12 of Agenda 2030; responsible consumption and production. Yet they also demand action from politicians, businesses, and citizens.

“The challenges are obvious. The goals are already there. Now is the time for us, the young generation, to act. We’re doing this through the ReGeneration 2030 movement,” said the chair of the steering committee Simon Holmström, during his opening speech of the ReGeneration 2030 Summit in Åland, which saw young people from across the Nordic Region and Baltic Sea region come together for three intense late-summer days on sustainability. Young people and youth organisations discussed innovative solutions for how to implement initiatives that help to fulfil the global objectives of Agenda 2030 and SDGs. In the spotlight was SDG 12; responsible consumption and production. Based on the youth summit, ReGeneration 2030 has developed a manifesto that will create new standards for responsible consumption and production. In the manifesto, young people not only look at themselves, but also at other key participants in the field of sustainability.

The challenges are obvious. The goals are already there. Now is the time for us, the young generation, to act. We’re doing this through the ReGeneration 2030 movement.

Simon Holmström, chair of the steering committee

ReGeneration 2030 makes demands

In the manifesto, ReGeneration 2030 demands five things of politicians, businesses, and citizens, which they believe must be done if SDG 12 is to be achieved. These are:

  • participation in all decision-making processes in order to promote Agenda 2030;
  • appealing and affordable approaches to making sustainable choices;
  • incentives for accelerating and integrating sustainable practices at all levels of society;
  • transparency in production chains; and
  • collaboration between businesses, citizens, and political stakeholders on a circular economy.

Young people see themselves as key players

ReGeneration 2030 not only sets requirements for others, but also itself, with the youth organisation setting out three commitments in its manifesto. It sets out three key roles for young people as agents of behavioural change across social, professional, and national boundaries. And the time has come for what the vice-chair of the steering committee Feben Hadgu stressed in particular at the youth summit: “The world will not achieve the SDGs without us. We need the new regeneration in the equation.”

Having young people who are actively engaged in the Sustainable Development Goals and who co-operate across national borders is a huge benefit to the Nordic Region and Baltic Sea region. It adds value.

Dagfinn Høybråten, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers

Nordic Council of Ministers has faith in young people

“Having young people who are actively engaged in the Sustainable Development Goals and who co-operate across national borders is a huge benefit to the Nordic Region and Baltic Sea region. It adds value,” says the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Dagfinn Høybråten. Through the Generation 2030 programme, the Nordic Council of Ministers is setting the direction of Nordic co-operation in order to support the objectives of Agenda 2030 and to fund the majority of the ReGeneration 2030 Summit. With Generation 2030, the Nordic Council of Ministers is demonstrating its belief that the world needs young people who can motivate their peers, businesses, political decision-makers, and shapers of opinion to change their behaviours in a way that helps us to achieve the goals of Agenda 2030.