91ÖÆƬ³§

12 August 2025 - In the bustling streets of Mathare, Kenya, Safrina Raiza leads environmental clean-ups that transform her community, one tree at a time. Her work represents a powerful truth: the most meaningful global movements begin with young people who see what needs to be changed in their own neighborhoods and decide to act. This year, celebrates their activism through the theme "Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond"¡ªthe process of young people taking global commitments and making them real in their communities.

Observed annually on 12 August, recognizes how youth like Safrina are proving that localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) isn't only about translating abstract objectives¡ªit¡¯s about solving problems they encounter daily. From environmental action to educational access, from peacebuilding to democratic participation, young leaders worldwide are transforming the SDGs from aspirations into practice.

Environmental Action in Urban Settlements

Through Mathare Roots Initiative, Safrina leads tree planting, waste clean-ups and environmental education programmes. The Initiative, a grassroots youth-led project, directly address SDG 11: Sustainable Cities, SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. Her message is clear: "You don't need to have everything figured out to start¡ªuse what you have, work with who is around you, and take action. Even small steps can lead to meaningful impact when done consistently."
 

Building schools, building hope

Across the continent in Burundi, another young leader proves that education is the foundation of sustainable development. Chancelle Bamuhaye transformed her teenage volunteering experience with UNICEF Burundi into Hope for a Better Future, a youth-led NGO that has reconstructed 13 schools in rural areas and donated over 1,600 benches. Her crowning achievement: financing a school in the Indigenous village of Busekera, providing education for over 1,000 children.

Beyond infrastructure, her organization has supported 17 children with serious health conditions and distributed more than 5,000 reusable sanitary pads to vulnerable girls. Her work earned recognition from government leaders and development pratitioners.
 

Indigenous knowledge meets urban innovation

In the mountains of Ecuador, Lenin Zambrano represents a different but equally powerful approach to sustainable development. As a proud Kichwa Otavalo and member of the Otavalango Indigenous community, he is leading the transformation of the Museo Viviente Otavalango (Living Museum Otavalango) into the world's first Indigenous One Stop¡ªa space that preserves Kichwa heritage while promoting sustainable urbanization through youth leadership. Through their participation in the Youth 2030 Cities initiative, Lenin and his community developed the Otavalo Youth DeclarACTION on Sustainable Urbanization to the Mayor, calling for systemic changes rooted in Indigenous identity, environmental protection and youth empowerment.

"Young people, particularly Indigenous youth, bring vital knowledge, creativity, and urgency to local development processes," Lenin explains. "Their inclusion ensures decisions reflect diverse lived realities," emphasizing how youth participation helps reclaim cultural memory while shaping more just and sustainable systems of education, governance and employment.

91ÖÆƬ³§ through inclusion

In some of the world's most challenging conflict zones, youth are redefining what peacebuilding looks like. Yosuke Nagai, Executive Director of Accept International, leads rehabilitation efforts for Youth Associated with Non-State Armed Groups (YANSAG) across Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia and Colombia. As the founder of the Global Taskforce for Youth Combatants, he supports that transformation of those often seen as threats into agents of peace.

¡°These young people are often overlooked or seen solely as threats, particularly in conflict zones where peace agreements seem unattainable. Through our programmes, we help them reconnect with their communities and become active agents in promoting sustaining peace at the local level,¡± he explained.

His message to young people driving change? "If these young people can become unique agents of peace, those engaged in violence decrease while those building society increase.¡±

Amplifying continental voices

From grassroots action to policy advocacy, young leaders are also working to ensure their voices shape the decisions that affect them. Jonathan Oriki Some, leading Young Africans for Sustainable Africa and serving on UN-Habitat's Youth Advisory Board, champions youth participation in decision-making. With over 60 per cent of Africa's population under 25, he argues: "We live the consequences of policies made without us. We must be co-creators of solutions and the future we want."

Jonathan emphasizes that meaningful youth inclusion transforms governance itself: "When youth are included, decisions become more honest, innovation thrives and communities become more responsive and just. Engaging youth isn't just a strategy, it's a necessity for achieving sustainable, community-driven change."

The localization revolution in action

These leaders demonstrate how starting local while thinking systemically creates lasting change. Their impact spans continents and contexts, united by a common approach: refusing to wait for permission to create the future they envision. From Mathare's cleaner streets to Burundi's new classrooms, from Ecuador's Indigenous One Stop that bridges cultural preservation with sustainable urbanization, to former combatants turned peacemakers and African youth in decision-making rooms, they embody the essence of SDG localization¡ªmaking the Global Goals meaningful within specific community contexts. The SDGs become real not only in conference rooms, but in the hands of youth who transform them from policy documents into daily practice.
 

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