Moaaz Awan, a Pakistani doctoral candidate from Tianjin University's School of Architecture and Engineering, attended the 2024 World Youth Development Forum and was one of the youth representatives who released the "International Youth Initiative on the Future Summit" (hereinafter referred to as the "Initiative"). The initiative puts forward unique youth perspectives to address current global challenges.

Moaaz Awan (third from the right) releases the "Initiative" with other youth representatives.

Themed "Youth Co-Building a Better Future", the 2024 World Youth Development Forum opened on the 12th in Beijing. More than 2,000 youth representatives from over 130 countries and more than 20 international organizations participated online and offline. The forum was co-hosted by the All-China Youth Federation, the United Nations in China, and the World Youth Development Forum Organizing Committee. It is the largest international conference for global youth prior to the United Nations Future Summit.

At the opening ceremony, Moaaz Awan, as one of the eight youth representatives, participated in the release of the "Initiative". The initiative calls for the Future Summit to focus on issues such as ensuring quality education and empowering youth through technology, and hopes that the United Nations will fully consider the needs of youth when formulating the post-2030 agenda.

"I am honored to represent the university, my country, and global youth in this grand event," Moaaz Awan said, "This is a life-changing experience, and I hope more young people will get involved." He said that during the conference, the youth representatives had in-depth discussions on the basic issues in the "Future Pact" and put forward some suggestions. The "Future Pact" will be proposed at next month's UN summit. "I hope our suggestions can be incorporated into the 'Future Pact', which will be our contribution to the global agenda," Awan said.

During the forum, Moaaz Awan also participated in the Thematic Forum on Culture Inheritance and Innovation held in Changsha. He had in-depth discussion with youth leaders from various countries on promoting the protection, inheritance and innovative development of world civilizations.

Currently a doctoral candidate at Tianjin University, Moaaz Awan has actively participated in many social activities including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and has unique insights in the field of youth innovation and entrepreneurship. He also participated in the construction of the first hydropower project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Karot Hydropower Station invested and constructed by China Three Gorges Group.

The World Youth Development Forum, held since 2022, aims to call on global youth to contribute to global development, advocate for global youth development, and gather the broadest forces to implement the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

By Eva Yin