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| Ms. Hulshof, (center rear) joins the UNICEF team and youth participants for a photo following the forum. ©Raditya Henrile / UNICEF /2017 |
“People often discuss what should be done for people with
disabilities, but they don’t often include us in their discussions,” Panji
Surya Sahetapy of the Indonesian Association for Welfare of the Deaf said
through an interpreter.
His message, delivered during
a youth forum on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was clear – in
conversations about disability rights, people with disability need to be heard.
His statement was a reminder, said UNICEF East Asia
Pacific Regional Director Karin Hulshof, who was present at the forum during
her visit to the country, of UNICEF’s mission to protect the most vulnerable
children– not only the materially disadvantaged, but those marginalized on
account of their gender, age, sexual orientation, HIV status, ethnicity, and
ability.
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| Panji Sahetapy represented the deaf community at the youth SDG forum in Jakarta ©Raditya Henrile / UNICEF /2017 |
Although a philosophy of inclusive
development underlies the vision of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -- a global agenda that seeks to end poverty and improve wellbeing, among other objectives -- many groups are
left out of the conversation for how best to implement them.
Among the most overlooked voices are those belonging to youth.
In the forum, entitled “Young People’s Consultation [LP1] [CR2] on
the SDGs”, the Youth
Network on Violence against Children (YNVAC) forged a partnership with 2030
Youth Force (YF), a youth group encourages young Jakartans to contribute to the
SDG agenda.
“In this forum we want to hear from young people on how
they might assist implementation of the SDGs,” said Ravio Patra, a meeting
facilitator. The 25 youth participants, representing youth organizations on education,
health, economic, social and environmental issues, were selected from over 250
applicants.
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Young people hunker down for a brainstorming session
© Niken Larasati / UNICEF /2017 |
Three objectives were laid out in the meeting: one, to identify
the most pressing issues for youth; two, to identify the most effective and
efficient advocacy methods for addressing those challenges; and three, to identify
concrete tools for empowering young people to tackle them.
Regional Director Hulshof said persistence and a
collaborative spirit were key.
“[Protecting] the environment for example, is a pressing
issue that needs to be tackled by all members of society, both civilians and
government officials. We need to care for our environment, which is in line
with the fulfilment of several SDGs targets,” she stated.
Ibu Woro Srihastuti Sulistyaningrum
(Lisa), Director of Family, Women, Children, Youth and Sports at the National
Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), was also present at the meeting. Ibu
Lisa expressed the Government’s support for the 25 young people and their organizations,
pledging to be an ally. “Now is the era of young people taking action,” she
said. “When like-minded people get together, great things happen.”
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| Ibu Lisa of Bappenas accepts the recommendations from youth leaders © Niken Larasati / UNICEF /2017 |
By the end of
the day, the group of young people had distilled their aspirations down to
three action points: First, they expressed the desire for Government to help youth
groups conduct ‘reality checks’ and policy reviews regarding the SDGs. A ‘reality
check’ invites young people to provide qualitative support in the field for
data-backed findings. These are are then used to help the Government produce policy
on SDG implementation.
Second, the
forum asked that the Government and UN agencies ramp up advocacy and allow them
to assist in the formulation of SDG reports. Third, the forum expressed the
hope that all relevant parties, including Government, UN agencies and NGOs, would
provide capacity-building for network members to ensure that the forum led to
real action.
The
recommendations were handed over to UNICEF, represented by Ms. Hulshof, and the
Indonesian Government, represented by Ibu Lisa, who said the government was
excited to lend its support.
Ending the
meeting, UNICEF Indonesia Representative Gunilla Olsson promised, “We will always
open our door to determined agents of change by supporting the inclusion of
young people in the implementation of the SDGs in Indonesia.” Two more forums on
youth-driven SDG implementation, she said, would be held in the near future.
Inspired, the
25 young people have already begun planning ways to play a bigger role in the
SDG push.
“UNICEF can’t
do this ourselves. We need your help to reach the most marginalised and out-of-reach
children across Indonesia,” said Ali Aulia, Child Protection specialist. “We
have to ensure our work benefits and protects children everywhere and youth
play an instrumental role in that mission.”
