The overlap of UNGA79, Summit of the Future, as well as NYC Climate Week created a critical moment to assess and drive progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals — focusing on inequality, poverty, conflict, health, and climate change. During these events, Council experts were at the forefront of important dialogues on sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate justice, and the importance of data in bridging gender divides and advancing youth initiatives. We also discussed what it takes to ensure education is truly equitable.
United Nations General Assembly 79 (UNGA79), Summit of the Future, & Climate Week NYC 2024
Sessions & Speakers
Friday 09/20
Summit of the Future Action Day Session | 3:30–4:45 pm EDT | United Nations Headquarters, ECOSOC Rm
#YouthLead: Gender equity to empower girls and young women
Organizers: The UN Youth Office together with EOSG, UN Agencies, Coordination Group (UN Major Group for Children and Youth, GIRL Center, Women Deliver, HelpAge International), and other stakeholders working with youth and adolescents.
In line with the priorities of the United Nations and the language proposals in the Pact for the Future (especially Chapter 4 on Youth & Future Generations), the overarching vision of the Youth Action Day sessions (20 September, Friday) will be to strengthen meaningful youth engagement in policymaking and decision-making processes related to the implementation of the Pact for the Future (and annexes).
Watch recording of event (GIRL Center’s Evalin Karijo speaks at 1:12:00)
Closed Invite Discussion | 5:30–7:30 pm EDT | One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 3rd floor
Why Feminist Education is key to achieving ALL the Sustainable Development Goals
With only six years to go to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals target, we are still far from the world we want. The future depends on equipping coming generations with the understanding, knowledge and empathy they need to deal with the world that we have created for them. The future depends on safe, inclusive, feminist education.
This powerful session positioned feminist education as a core investment to build a peaceful, just and inclusive world. Delivered in partnership with UNGEI, UNESCO, UNICEF, UN Women alongside the South African Department for Basic Education, Government of France, Transform Education, Equimundo and Population Council, the session built on existing commitments to deliver an urgent promise on feminist education as a “platinum bullet” for all the SDGs.
Saturday 09/21
Panel Discussion | 10:00–11: 30 am EDT | One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 3rd floor
Climate Chaos, SRHR Crisis: Weaving a web of strength, solutions and solidarity
On the sidelines of the Summit of the Future, this event focused on fostering partnerships and solidarity among advocates working in the sexual and reproductive health and rights-justice (SRHRJ) and the climate justice field. This presented a unique opportunity for world leaders to hear young people’s voices and to acknowledge the importance and interconnectedness of SRHR and climate justice.
Showcase | 11:30 am–1:00 pm EDT | One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 3rd floor
Building Trust Using Arts for Storytelling in AYSRHR Interventions
In a world where youth voices are often marginalized, it’s crucial to create platforms that amplify their perspectives, particularly in sexual and reproductive health and rights-justice (SRHRJ). The Global Roadmap for Action (GRA), in collaboration with FP2030, PMNCH, Population Council, and the William H. Gates Sr. Institute, invites youth artists globally to the “Art for Advocacy: Empowering Youth in Sexual and Reproductive Health” art gallery and contest.
This event showcased visual art pieces exclusively by youth. Selected artworks were featured at UNGA in NYC and will be at the Youth Summit at ICFP 2025, providing a powerful platform to connect youth stories with influential stakeholders.
Tuesday 09/24
Interactive workshop | 8:45–10:45 am EDT | One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 3rd floor
Data Platforms for Adolescent Futures: Spotlighting global data platforms and data visualization on adolescent-centered evidence
Evidence focusing on adolescents, especially girls, is crucial in shaping interventions that directly impact their lives, yet often remains inaccessible and underutilized outside the research community. When data is packaged and presented in an effective way, it allows for engagement, effective decision-making, targeted interventions, and buy-in by stakeholders, including girls themselves and movements that support them.
Hosted by Population Council’s Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning Center and Gender, Education, Justice, and Equity Hub, alongside Equal Measures 2030 and UNICEF, this hands-on, interactive event offered an opportunity for all stakeholders to:
- Immerse themselves in data visualization aspects, ‘play’ with data, and find useful indicators on adolescents’ wellbeing, especially adolescent girls.
- Engage with experts who are developing and leading global data platforms centered on adolescents and intersecting themes on gender and the sustainable development goals.
Wednesday 09/25
Closed invite discussion | 9:00–11:30 am | One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 3rd floor
Girls Deliver Strategic Visioning Workshop for Adolescent Girls
Stakeholders jointly developed a roadmap and milestones for collective advocacy for girls’ rights and positive narratives, collective action for key moments including Beijing+30 and Women Deliver 2026, and resource mobilization for girl-focused programing.
Thursday 09/26
Panel discussion | 3:00–5:00 pm | One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 3rd floor
The Missing Link for Sustainable Futures: Gender-responsive climate policies for health equity
At the sidelines of UNGA 79 and NYC Climate Week: Join a thought-provoking dialogue on addressing the climate crisis’ impact on gender equality and health equity goals.
The intersections of gender justice, health equity, and the climate crisis are often overlooked and under-funded aspects of sustainable development. At the sidelines of UNGA 79 and Climate Week 2024, join Panorama Global, Population Council, Global Climate and Health Alliance, and Global Health Council, this event presented an opportunity for participants to:
- Engage with experts who are advancing the latest climate and health evidence.
- Explore messaging for moving climate policies toward gender and health equity.
- Recommend actions toward COP29 and beyond.
Achieving global commitments to gender equity and women’s health amidst the climate crisis requires smarter, climate-informed investments and integrating sexual and reproductive health into climate adaptation policies.
Panel discussion | 6:00–8:00 pm | One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 3rd floor
Gender and Environment Data Alliance: Bridging data and action in the lead-up to COP29
Grounded in GEDA members’ feminist climate justice advocacy, the panel highlighted the importance of data for the UNFCCC gender and transparency processes, as part of our collective work to inform and influence the gender and climate policy arena. Speakers from across GEDA’s global membership shared examples of their work on feminist data methodologies, local data collection, and monitoring and evaluation, including our just-launched first Small Grants program!
Speakers included: Adrián Martínez Blanco, Founder and Director, La Ruta del Clima; Francesca Perucci, Director of Policy and Partnerships, Open Data Watch; Deepshikha Sharma, Director of Climate Sciences, Population Council Consulting; Katherine Quaid, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, WECAN; and Professor Peg Spitzer, Co-Founder, Climate Knowledge Collective.
