From Global Agendas to Local Action: The 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum Follow-Up Event, Youth Digital Collaboration for a Sustainable & Inclusive Cities

At a time when global challenges continue to test our collective resolve, the 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum Follow-Up Event was co-organized by IVECA Center for International Virtual Schooling and the Global NGO Executive Committee and sponsored by the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Korea, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Senegal, the Republic of Indonesia, and the United Mexican States to the United Nations.  The event was enriched through collaboration with UN Academic Impact, the UN Office for Partnerships, Civil Society Unit of the UN DGC, CoNGO, Tzu Chi Foundation, World Assembly of Youth, several academic programs of New York University, Adelphi University, Seton Hall University, and Anderson University, which stood as a hopeful reminder of what is possible when institutions come together to invest in young people.

On February 5, 2026, the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations became a space of renewed resolve, imagination, and intergenerational dialogue. The 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum Follow-Up Event, “Youth Digital Collaboration for a Sustainable Planet: Innovating for Inclusive Cities,” opened with a powerful reminder: sustainable development is not an abstract agenda deferred to calmer times; it is a lived and pressing reality shaped by local communities and the young people leading change within them.

In their opening remarks, Deputy Permanent Representatives from the Republic of Korea, the Portuguese Republic, and the Republic of Indonesia grounded global agendas in human experience. Ambassador Sangjin Kim of the Republic of Korea emphasized that youth perspectives bring the empathy, creativity, and critical drive the multilateral system immediately needs as they are deeply rooted in local realities and amplified through digital collaboration.  Even as fiscal constraints tighten and geopolitical tensions rise, he stressed that sustainable development cannot be put on hold since “it’s a fundamental framework for collective survival and shared prosperity.” It begins in neighborhoods grappling with floods, unsafe streets, energy insecurity, and fragile infrastructure, and it moves forward when young people are trusted and empowered to act.

Ambassador Jorge Aranda of the Portuguese Republic echoed this urgency, highlighting that digital literacy, artificial intelligence, and innovation are no longer optional. They are essential civic skills.  As he clearly stated, “Digital literacy and specifically artificial intelligence education are no longer an option; they are essential.” The ambassador further underscored the need for ethics, critical thinking, and responsibility alongside technical expertise. Youth, he argued, are not waiting to inherit a technological future; they are actively shaping today’s social and civic realities through it. From classrooms to startups, young people are using digital tools to confront climate change, counter misinformation, improve public health, and expand social inclusion, turning innovation into purpose-driven action.

Ambassador Hari Prabowo of Indonesia reinforced this vision of youth-led transformation with data and real-world examples. Emphasizing the central message of the event, he affirmed, “Youth digital collaboration means placing young people not merely as beneficiaries of digital transformation, but as co-creators of solutions with real and measurable impacts.” As Southeast Asia’s digital economy has surged beyond expectations, Indonesia’s young and connected population has emerged as a powerful engine for both economic growth and sustainable development. Across education platforms, financial technology, and social commerce, Indonesian youth are proving that lasting impact depends not only on innovation but on inclusive systems, supportive environments, and trust.

Collectively, these opening reflections framed the central message of the event: youth digital collaboration is not about distant futures or perfect solutions; it is about co-creating practical, inclusive, and scalable responses to today’s challenges. With this foundation, the floor was opened by Ms. Kathryn Goods, Head of the Non-governmental Liaison Service at the UN DGC, to students from universities and secondary schools around the world. Their projects transformed global commitments into local action, and their voices embodied the future of sustainable, partnership-driven development. These student presenters showed that when intercultural dialogue, data, and technology intersect, young people are able to co-design responses to complex urban challenges with clarity and purpose. 

Representing New York University (USA), students presented Making Streets Safer, a project inspired by youth digital exchange with Korean students that rethinks pedestrian safety in New York City. By finding culturally specific causes of the pedestrian accidents and analyzing publicly available data, the project identified students as the primary agents capable of driving long-term behavioral change. The initiative proposes a two-part, scalable workshop in New York City public schools in which students first observe intersections near their schools and collect data, then prototype safety solutions using engineering design principles. By positioning young people as experts of the spaces they inhabit, the project builds awareness, responsibility, and civic engagement. As the team’s presenter, Mr. Andres Lopez, noted, “Meaningful change happens when people listen genuinely and authentically across cultural distances. Education gives young people shared tools, shared language, and shared responsibility over their own city.”

Addressing homelessness through a community-based lens, students of Anderson University (USA) presented their concept for “Anderson Haven House for Tomorrow”, a multi-use shelter model designed to respond to rising homelessness in Anderson County, South Carolina. Built on partnerships with local organizations providing shelter, food, and outreach services, the initiative emphasizes both immediate support and long-term stability. A structured 90-day residency period enables data-driven evaluation, with success measured through housing readiness, employment outcomes, retention rates, and post-exit indicators such as hospitalization statistics and job stability. The project also highlights the role of college students as volunteers and partners, noting that service learning strengthens both community impact and student employability. One of the team’s presenters, Mr. Samuel Risell, reflected on the initiative, “Homelessness reflects global challenges, but solutions must be community-driven. By combining data, partnerships, and student engagement, we can build pathways toward stability and dignity.”

Students from Noeun High School (South Korea) presented Building Smart Mobility for Vulnerable Residents, an accessibility-focused initiative addressing gaps in Daejeon’s public transportation system. Beyond statistical indicators, the students conducted first-hand experimental field research by covering their eyes, then traveling by bus themselves. As a result, they found out that existing systems are largely designed for able-bodied users and unintentionally exclude the visually impaired. In response, they developed a set of practical solutions, including multilingual voice announcements, smart stop-request systems, fixed boarding positions, enhanced mobility applications, and driver training. Following mentorship and peer feedback, the students engaged directly with the Yuseong District Office to co-develop integrated, app-based support systems and smart bus stop solutions. Expressing their approach, the students shared, “We realized that data alone does not measure accessibility. Experiencing the system ourselves helped us design solutions that truly include everyone.”

Intercultural virtual exchange projects further illustrated how digital collaboration enables secondary school students to address environmental and infrastructure challenges across borders. Students from Cosmo Schools Rionegro (Colombia) presented Fast Eco-Swap Fashion for Cleaner and Greener Cities, a digital clothing exchange platform that the students created to reduce fast fashion consumption within their school community. The closed web-based system allows students to upload photos and information about clothing and exchange them with registered peers, promoting reuse and environmental awareness. Through surveys and peer feedback, the team refined the platform. It assessed its social impact, with the students emphasizing that “Small individual decisions, when taken collectively, can create big positive environmental impacts.”

The students at Euroamerican School (Mexico) presented Water Wise: Reducing Water Waste through School Infrastructure Audit, a student-led response to Monterrey’s severe water scarcity crisis. By conducting a comprehensive audit of school facilities, students identified leaks and inefficiencies that resulted in water losses equivalent to supplying 120 families for over a month. Their findings prompted immediate repairs and budget adjustments, and the project has since expanded through collaboration with local water authorities to develop a student-led monitoring app. Illustrating their experience, the students noted, “We learned that preventing water waste is as powerful as responding to shortages, and that students can lead both.”

Students from Sekolah Indonesia Singapura (Singapore) introduced Eco-Breeze Walkway, an AI-guided, solar-powered cooling solution designed to address rising urban temperatures. The project proposes integrating smart sensors, renewable energy, and district cooling systems to reduce street-level heat and create more comfortable public spaces. Designed to be scalable and partnership-driven, the initiative highlights how digital innovation–demonstrated through a student-built cooling prototype tested for measurable temperature reduction–can enhance urban livability. As the team explained, “Cooling cities is not only about technology, but it is about creating people-friendly shared spaces.”

From Seoil High School (Korea), students presented K-High Energy Hunters for Affordable and Clean Energy, developed through intercultural virtual exchange with a partner school in Mexico. Recognizing that awareness does not always translate into action, the students designed the School Energy Hunters program, combining surveys, incentives, tracking systems, and an energy-coin reward model to encourage daily energy-saving behaviors. The project is expanding beyond the school through partnerships with local businesses and neighboring institutions, reinforcing the social dimension of energy transition. As the students reflected, “Energy transition does not begin only with policies and technologies, it begins with people’s everyday choices.”

Students from Government Bilingual High School Bamendakwe (Cameroon) presented Designing a sustainable future to address climate resilience through AI to Combat Flooding: A Path to Sustainable Cameroonian Cities. Their project, HydroGuard, is an AI-based early warning system that monitors water levels and issues alerts through sound, visuals, and SMS notifications, providing customized prevention measures for vulnerable populations. By combining accessible hardware with real-time data processing through their AI-powered application, the system aims to reduce flood-related deaths, displacement, and disruptions to education. Beyond technology, the students emphasized public awareness and community preparedness, noting, “Technology must be paired with awareness. Early warning systems can save lives when communities know how to respond.”

Concluding the student presentations, representatives from Butler Tech Ross High School (USA) shared From Student Idea to Sustained Impact, the story of JEE Foods, a youth-led initiative addressing hunger through food recovery and redistribution. Since its launch in 2017 in collaboration with South Korean students through a virtual platform, the initiative has operated at the school for over eight years through a three-stage model that addresses immediate needs, fosters self-sufficiency, and breaks cycles of poverty. By partnering with food businesses and NGOs, JEE Foods now redistributes surplus food through more than 100 partner organizations and continues to be led by successive student cohorts. Reflecting on their journey, the students affirmed, “We didn’t wait for permission to act. Obstacles are often opportunities, and ‘no’ is often temporary.”

Opening the second floor, Partnerships for Digital Inclusion and Sustainable Development, moderated by Dr. Eunhee Jung, President of IVECA Center for International Virtual Schooling,  took the conversation further by examining how collaboration can turn youth-led innovation into durable and inclusive change.

The session opened with Ambassador Mohamed Edrees, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, who reframed youth engagement as a matter of partnership rather than policy design. “This event matters because we are talking with youth, not about them,” he emphasized, pointing to youth-driven digital initiatives across Africa that are already addressing challenges in water, energy, and infrastructure. To sustain this momentum, he stressed the need to scale African youth innovation, highlighting joint African Union–United Nations initiatives that help young people move from ideas to implementation.

This emphasis on scaling and inclusion was echoed by Ms. Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. She positioned digital inclusion as a cornerstone of sustainable development, warning that as societies become more connected, there is a real risk of creating new forms of exclusion. She noted that global frameworks such as the Digital Compact and the Pact for the Future offer clear direction, but their success depends on how they are translated into real-world partnerships and youth-led innovation. As she cautioned, the global digital transition must ensure that “as we move forward in a world that is increasingly digital and connected, we don’t create new structures of marginalization and we don’t leave anyone behind.” In this sense, youth-driven digital solutions serve as a vital bridge between global policy and local action, carrying international commitments back into the communities where they have the most immediate impact.

While policy frameworks provide structure, Dr. Carol Anne Spreen, Professor of International Education at New York University, challenged institutions to confront the deeper transformations required. She argued that today’s interconnected crises cannot be solved within disciplinary or geographic silos, and that technology alone cannot address structural inequality. “There is no technocratic fix for inequality,” she stated, emphasizing that meaningful change emerges through collective learning and action grounded in solidarity, justice, and community knowledge.

Dr. Spreen’s call for transformation resonated with Mr. Tim Francis, Advisor for Communication and Information at UNESCO’s Liaison Office to the United Nations, who underscored education as the foundation for peace and sustainable development. Recalling UNESCO’s principle that “if wars are made in the minds of people, then peace must be built there too,” he underscored the critical role of media and information literacy in combating misinformation. He stressed that digital education must be inclusive and co-designed, with young people actively shaping the platforms, policies, and learning systems that influence their futures.

Channeling the importance of youth shaping the systems that affect their future, the conversation shifted to the role of cross-sector partnerships in supporting youth-led solutions.  Mr. Noah Zelkind, Head of Operations at 80 Acres Farms, discussed how climate stress and fragile supply chains are challenging traditional agriculture and emphasized the need for more resilient, technology-driven, innovative approaches, noting that “our legacy food systems simply cannot meet the needs of the future and of our ever-evolving world.” Exemplifying private sector partnership with youth innovation, he highlighted the company’s support for the student-led NGO JEE Foods, based on a shared commitment to provide healthier and more sustainable food for communities.   

Supporting these cross-sector collaborations, Mr. John Gilroy, Chief of Service, Trust Funds and Programmes at the UN Office for Partnerships, emphasized that none of these challenges can be addressed in isolation. Partnerships, he noted, enable societies to “create the future we want, rather than one imposed on us.” Highlighting the UN’s role as a connector for business, civil society, and philanthropy, he reflected on the youth ideas presented throughout the forum, many of which could become the next generation of global solutions if supported with trust, resources, and inclusive collaboration.

Taken together, the discussions across both sessions reinforced a shared conclusion: youth digital collaboration is not about distant futures or perfect answers. It is about co-creating practical, inclusive, and scalable responses to today's challenges. As students from around the world shared projects rooted in local realities and global vision, the forum offered a compelling glimpse of a future shaped by partnership, innovation, and shared responsibility.

Emerging from the reflections and commitments shared throughout the event, the Youth & Expert Dialogues session brought the conversation into sharper focus by confronting the realities that young people face on the ground. One of the most striking exchanges came from an Anderson University student, Mr. Joshua Hiles, who asked how communities struggling for necessities like clean water and food can be expected to engage in broader societal change. Responding, Ambassador Mohamed Edrees emphasized that awareness and aspiration persist even in hardship, noting that today’s digital connectivity exposes young people everywhere to new possibilities and inspires action. As he explained, “They know maybe their reality is harsh, but they know that there are other horizons, other prospects, other quality of life which they aspire to. And this itself is a driver for change.” He stressed that inclusive governance and affordable digital access are essential, and that youth participation must move beyond symbolism to real roles in shaping policy and implementation.

Another question from a student from South Korea asked how schools can help student-led ideas move beyond the classroom and into the community. Dr. Spreen’s response was both direct and inspiring, emphasizing that real change starts with the students themselves: “It’s got to come from below and come from you all.” She underscored that by actively sharing their projects with teachers and administrators and demonstrating what i s possible, students can break free from rigid, test-driven models and drive practical, community-centered learning. These exchanges captured the true spirit of the forum, reaffirming that when youth voices are trusted, supported, and empowered, even small ideas in local classrooms can grow into transformative, lasting solutions.

As the event transitioned from dialogue to conclusion, the closing remarks brought the conversation full circle, grounding innovation in responsibility and partnership. Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Mission of the United Mexican States, Ms. Alejandra Alvarez captured the spirit of the day with both pride and urgency. She reflected on how the student projects presented were not abstract exercises, but concrete demonstrations of youth leadership in action. “You don’t need permission to change the world,” she reminded participants, echoing a phrase that had resonated throughout the forum. Young people are not waiting for institutions to move first; they are already translating the Sustainable Development Goals into practical solutions in their schools and communities. In a candid moment, she acknowledged that multilateral processes can at times feel slow and complex, but seeing youth initiative firsthand, she said, “reminds us why we do what we do.” Her message was both an affirmation and a challenge: institutions must continue to listen, support, and create real space for youth voices to shape decisions.

In the final address, Dr. Felipe Paullier expanded the conversation beyond innovation to its deeper foundation. He cautioned that no technological breakthrough or policy framework can succeed if communities continue to struggle with poverty, insecurity, and unmet basic needs. Sustainable development must begin there. At the heart of this transformation lies education. Investing in young people is not simply a moral imperative; it is a strategic one. Education equips communities with the tools to participate in economic growth, civic life, and technological change. Mr. Paullier called for open collaboration across sectors, stressing that progress accelerates when stakeholders work in unity rather than in isolation. Expressing gratitude to educators, mentors, and organizers, he recognized those who had made this platform possible. He closed with a direct appeal: expand opportunities for youth leadership, create pathways for their ideas to be tested and scaled, and ensure that institutions do not “hold each other back.”  The event, he underscored, was not a conclusion but a launch point, proof that when education, partnership, and youth empowerment align, inclusive and lasting development moves from aspiration to action.

As the ECOSOC Chamber drew to a close, the energy in the room made one thing explicit: this was not simply a forum about youth engagement, it was proof of it. Across two sessions, students did more than present ideas. They demonstrated that when global frameworks meet local realities, progress becomes practical. Whether addressing water scarcity, urban heat, food insecurity, mobility, or climate resilience, each project reflected the same principle: sustainable development moves forward when young people are trusted as partners, not positioned as observers. The dialogue between diplomats, UN leaders, educators, and innovators reinforced that collaboration across sectors is no longer optional. It is the condition for lasting impact.

Supporting this growing ecosystem of collaboration is the ongoing work of IVECA, whose digitally facilitated global citizenship education model has helped connect classrooms across continents and turn virtual exchange into real-world problem-solving. By creating structured platforms where students co-design solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, IVECA enables schools and universities to move beyond theory into shared action. Its role is not to stand at the center of the story, but to build the bridges that allow young people to write it together. The 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum Follow-Up Event reflected what becomes possible when those bridges are in place. As more educational institutions join this expanding network, the impact can multiply, empowering a new generation not only to understand global challenges but to collaborate across borders in shaping practical, inclusive, and durable solutions.

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