From 31 October – 2 November 2022, Times Higher Education (THE) convened the Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC), hosted by the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. GSDC explored the topic of “Uniting higher education, governments, industry and society for a sustainable future” and brought together higher education, governments, industry and civil society.
On 2 November 2022, 2 ASEFYLS4 Alumni – Aashraya SETH (India) and Sarulchana VIRIYATAVEEKUL (Thailand) were invited to speak on the panel “SDG futures: The role of young people in galvanising support for SDGs“. They joined Amanulla PORAG (Students for Sustainability), Ameer IBRAHIM (Investment banking analyst, HSBC) and Vidya NANTHAKUMAR (Co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Introduction to Climate Change and Sustainability, University of Glasgow), as well as moderator Seeta BHARDWA (Student content editor, Times Higher Education).
The panel aimed to explore how galvanising the passion and enthusiasm of young people to save the planet through sustainable solutions is vital for achieving the SDGs. Yet often their voices are overlooked or not heard by institutions and governments despite their generations having to live with the consequences of inaction. This session will bring together young people active in promoting SDG solutions across the world and explore the ways in which they inspire other young people to take action.
Aashraya & Sarulchana shared their work and experiences relating to sustainable development, how higher education institutions can support students in achieving the SDGs, how we can ensure engagement from youth with diverse backgrounds in global dialogue platforms such as the GSDC. They also shared about ASEF’s role in empowering young people through programmes such as the ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS) with knowledge strengthening and amplification of youth voices at a global level.