By Alexa Dominqiue Pascual

09/24/2024

 

 

It was a great honor to be invited to the “Summit of the Future” which is a part of the United Nations General Assembly. The Summit of the Future is a new initiative by the UN and member states, to create policy about bettering our future in terms of improving digital equity, equality, peace and security and the global sustainable goals. The summit is dedicated to the future generations, and us young leaders to build a sustainable future for our world. It was a great opportunity to meet officials and share insights about what affects the youth in foreign policy. As the United Nations Association of the United States of America SDG 5 (Gender Equality) Global Goals Ambassador and a youth delegate to DMUN Foundation, I was able to amplify female voices and showcase the importance of the women’s peace and security agenda. The Women’s Peace and Security agenda is a strategy to prevent gender-based violence, improve female participation in diplomacy, improve education for all women, give justice to women in conflict zones and increase diversity in the field of leadership. My assignment as a global goals ambassador is to be the voice of civil society and all Americans for women's rights at the UN and around the United States, which is such a great opportunity to represent your community and the youth. With my involvement in NGOs, I get to be the voice of the people and share their concerns to world leaders and UN senior officials which is a rewarding experience because now you can see that civil society and youth have a platform at the UN. 

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As a young person in these spaces, It could be challenging to have your voice heard and to share your insights. However, despite the difficulties in navigating diplomacy, we the youth are more motivated than ever to create change and to improve collaboration between civil society, the UN and government officials. It is a challenge to be taken seriously, because the older generation may still have a different ideology of youth participation. However despite the difficulties, the “Pact of the Future” has been passed and is supported by almost all democratic nations which gives us hope for youth leadership and to improve human rights in nations that are in conflict. As we go on to our modernized approach to foreign policy, in collaboration with other nations, and the UN the US Department of State has contributed to the “Global Digital Compact”, the policy emphasizes the improvement of digital technologies, the prevention of misinformation, providing a safe digital space for all citizens, enhance artificial intelligence and to protect citizens from human trafficking online. The Summit also emphasized the need to protect Ukraine and to stop Russian aggression which furthered the agenda of creating peace and justice in our everyday society. The safety of our citizens and the people of the world is a must in times of destruction and conflict, which member states agreed upon. 

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As you can see, international governance is slowly improving, by giving a space for the youth to be present in the biggest diplomatic summit in the world. The urgency to improve a better future for all is a must, especially with totalitarian aggression, foreign interference in our cyberspace and human rights becoming an issue online. These issues must be addressed to protect citizens. Digital media has become a powerful tool in foreign policy, which should be put into importance when it comes to diplomatic negotiations. The youth are more empowered than ever to create change and build a better future for all.  In every conflict that occurs the majority of the population who suffer are women and children,  emphasizing the need for young voices to have a place on the diplomatic stage so that all communities will be properly represented and so that the youth perspective in each policy will be showcased at the United Nations General Assembly. As we continue our work in youth advocacy, the next generation will be protected and young voices will be heard.

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To read the full document click on the link down below:

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https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/sotf-pact_for_the_future_adopted.pdf