Student Spotlight: Morais Attends ECOSOC Youth Forum
Yasmin Morais (Pardee ’19) recently attended the 2018 United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum held at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City from January 30-31, 2018.
The annual ECOSOC Youth Forum provides a platform for youth to engage in a dialogue with UN Member States and to discuss the policy frameworks and promote innovative, institutionalized approaches and initiatives for advancing the youth development agenda at national, regional and global levels with a view to promoting solutions to the global challenge of strengthening resilience and sustainable development.
“It was an enriching and intriguing experience, as I learned more about international cooperation, the role of civil society and the challenges related to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” Morais said.
The forum also gives participants the opportunity to engage with government representatives, youth delegates, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in civil society and the private sector through plenary sessions, interactive thematic and regionally-based discussions and region perspectives, and rich exchanges of views and ideas on innovative solutions to issues of relevance to young people and the implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — structured around the sustainable development goal under review in the the Economic and Social Council and the High-level Political Forum in 2017.
“During the Forum, I participated at breakout sessions focused on Biodiversity Conservation and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the plenary sessions, where youth ministers, international organizations and members of civil society gathered,” Morais said. “I had the chance to contribute with my own ideas and experience in some instances.”
On Jan 29, 2018 before the forum started, Morais had the opportunity to visit the Permanent Mission of Brazil to the U.N. and met with the Brazilian youth delegation to the ECOSOC. She also had the chance to speak with two diplomats about Brazil’s diplomatic priorities at the UN as well as youth engagement.
“In a world full of division and intolerance, there still are leaders who value cooperation and insist in building solutions together,” Morais said. “During the ECOSOC Youth Forum, I learned about some challenges in international diplomacy related to seeking a future based on cooperation and dialogue. In plenary and breakout sessions, a common theme was how to integrate countries at an international level, but also how to integrate domestic agendas across government agencies, the private sector and civil society organizations. I was able to contribute to discussions with previous research I have done and with experience I had in the past.”
Morais said attending the 2018 ECOSOC Youth Forum was an excellent compliment to her studies at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
“Classroom discussions and events promoted at the Pardee School were also helpful to make my experience even more concrete,” Morais said. “Examples are the event on indigenous rights we had last semester and the roundtable conversations at the Global Development Policy Center. I’m immensely thankful for all the preparation and the opportunities Pardee has given me.”