Welcoming ECOSOC Youth Forum 2026

From April 14-16, 2026, the United Nations will convene the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2026 at its headquarters in New York. Held in the context of the 2026 ECOSOC theme and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the forum will support transformative, equitable, innovative, and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Among the goals under review, SDG 11, sustainable cities and communities, is especially relevant this April. It concerns the places where people live, study, work and share responsibility. It also concerns the quality of neighborhoods, the dignity of public space, and the ability of young people to help shape a more inclusive social environment. The SDG 11 session will examine youth participation in urban governance, safe public space, resilience, and local decision-making as part of the wider work of building inclusive, safe and sustainable cities.

For the Universal Peace Federation, this forum deserves a direct welcome. It aligns with UPF’s current international campaign, 100 Days of Serving Community, which runs from February 20 to June 1, 2026. Within that campaign, April is the Month of Service.

The United Nations has, over many years, treated the ECOSOC Youth Forum as an important platform for bringing youth perspectives into the wider work of sustainable development. The 2026 edition also connects youth dialogue with broader international processes, including the 2026 UN Water Conference, the World Urban Forum 2026, the 2027 SDG Summit, and the 2027 United Nations Habitat Assembly. The 2026 Youth Forum also reflects the UN Youth Office’s Core Principles for Meaningful Youth Participation, which call for engagement that is meaningful, representative, inclusive and safe.

For UPF, this remains part of its ongoing work. Through the Religious Youth Service, young people from different backgrounds have worked together in service projects in many countries. UPF was founded on the conviction that peace requires moral renewal, responsibility in family and public life, and service to others. Dr. Hak Ja Han and Rev. Sun Myung Moon gave that conviction institutional form.

In societies marked by distrust, loneliness, and weakened civic life, sustainable communities deserve more serious attention. A sustainable city is not only one with transport systems, infrastructure and energy planning. It is also one in which people feel responsible for one another, and where young people are treated as partners in building the common good. This is where UN priorities on sustainable development meet UPF’s practical service work. UPF also recognizes that youth leadership becomes stronger when it is linked to intergenerational cooperation.

As the ECOSOC Youth Forum opens in New York, UPF welcomes the forum as a practical opportunity for youth, governments and civil society to turn commitments into local action. It also welcomes the young voices the forum brings into the discussion and the partnerships it can strengthen.

Dr. Tageldin Hamad, President, UPF-International April 14, 2026