Report on Enhancing Youth Participation for Sustainable Development Goal Achievement in Southeast Asia

1.0 Executive Summary

• This report examines the critical role of youth in addressing the climate crisis within the ASEAN region, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• It identifies a significant gap between the high level of youth engagement in climate issues and their formal inclusion in policy-making structures.
• The primary recommendation is the establishment of a regional ASEAN Youth Climate Envoy to institutionalize youth participation, thereby accelerating progress on SDG 13 (Climate Action) and related goals.

2.0 Youth Engagement and its Contribution to the SDGs

2.1 Informed and Proactive Youth Demographics

• Evidence from interactions with university students in Southeast Asia indicates a generation that is not only passionate but also highly informed about complex climate and development challenges.
• This proactive engagement demonstrates a significant, yet underutilized, resource for achieving regional sustainability targets.

2.2 Youth-Led Initiatives Supporting the Global Goals

• Across the region, youth are actively leading initiatives that directly support multiple SDGs:
  1. SDG 13 (Climate Action): Engaging in climate dialogues, questioning existing frameworks, and proposing innovative solutions to the climate crisis.
  2. SDG 4 (Quality Education): Implementing climate education programs to foster awareness and knowledge for sustainable development (Target 4.7).
  3. SDG 15 (Life on Land): Organizing practical environmental actions such as tree-planting initiatives.
  4. SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Launching sustainability-focused start-ups that contribute to a green economy.

3.0 The Structural Deficit in Youth Inclusion for SDG 16

• Despite their active contributions, youth in the ASEAN region—home to over 380 million people under 35—lack a formal, institutionalized role in climate-related decision-making.
• This absence contrasts with global models, such as the UN’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, which successfully amplify youth voices.
• This institutional gap hinders progress on SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), specifically Target 16.7, which calls for ensuring responsive, inclusive, and participatory decision-making at all levels.

4.0 Proposal: Establishment of an ASEAN Youth Climate Envoy

4.1 Rationale and Objectives

• In alignment with the principles of International Youth Day, it is proposed that ASEAN establish the formal position of a Youth Climate Envoy.
• This is a strategic measure to integrate the youth perspective directly into regional policy formulation and implementation, ensuring that those most affected by future climate change have a role in shaping it.

4.2 Key Functions and Contributions to the SDGs

1. Advance SDG 13 (Climate Action): The envoy would provide a direct channel for youth-driven solutions to be integrated into ASEAN’s climate strategies and negotiations.
2. Strengthen SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The position would serve as a crucial link, coordinating youth efforts at the local level and connecting them to regional ASEAN climate meetings and global forums like the UN climate summits.
3. Institutionalize Youth Participation: Creating this role would be a tangible action to build more inclusive and effective institutions, directly supporting the objectives of SDG 16.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses issues that are directly relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus on youth involvement in climate policy-making creates a strong link to the following goals:

• SDG 13: Climate Action: The central theme of the article is the “climate crisis” in Southeast Asia and the need for urgent action and policy engagement.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article explicitly calls for the “structural inclusion” of youth in governance and decision-making processes, highlighting a gap in current institutional frameworks.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: It acknowledges that young people are already “informed” and are leading “climate education programmes,” connecting the issue to education for sustainable development.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The proposal for a regional “youth climate envoy” for Asean to connect with global forums is a call for strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the specific issues and solutions proposed in the article, the following targets can be identified:

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.3: “Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.” This is supported by the mention of informed students and youth-led “climate education programmes.”
• Target 13.b: “Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management… including focusing on… youth and local and marginalized communities.” The core proposal to appoint a “youth climate envoy” to participate in “Asean climate meetings and global forums” directly aligns with this target.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.7: “Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.” The article’s main argument is that youth “lack is a formal role in decision-making” and that creating an envoy would “provide a channel for young people to participate directly in shaping the policies that affect their future.”

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.7: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development…” The article highlights that students are already “informed” and passionate about “climate and development challenges,” which is the outcome sought by this target.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…” The call for an Asean-level envoy to “coordinate these efforts” among youth across Southeast Asia and connect them to “international negotiations” is a direct call for a new regional and youth-focused partnership.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions or implies several indicators that could be used to measure progress:

Indicators for SDG 13 and SDG 16

• Existence of a formal youth representative role: The primary indicator proposed is the creation and appointment of a “youth climate envoy at the regional level” for Asean. The article notes that Asean “has no equivalent role” to the UN’s Youth Advisory Group, making its establishment a clear measure of progress.
• Level of youth participation in policy-making: Progress could be measured by the number of youth voices included in “Asean climate meetings and global forums like the UN climate summit.”

Indicators for SDG 4

• Number of youth-led educational initiatives: The article states that youth are leading “climate education programmes.” An indicator would be the number and scale of such programmes across the Asean region.

Indicators for SDG 17

• Number of coordinated youth-led initiatives: The article mentions that youth are leading “tree-planting initiatives… and sustainability start-ups.” An indicator of a successful partnership, coordinated by an envoy, would be the number of such projects implemented and scaled across Southeast Asia.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: scmp.com