ECOSOC YOUTH FORUM 2023 |
25-27 April 2023, New York City, USA – Each year the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum provides a platform for young people to express their ideas and concerns regarding the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations, whilst engaging in a direct dialogue with UN Member States and other relevant stakeholders.
This year’s topic of ECOSOC and the 2023 UN High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF) was “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at levels”, while also focusing on progress in the areas of clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and finally partnerships for the goals (SDG17).
In an effort to promote disability inclusion as a cross-cutting thematic priority, UNODC’s GRACE initiative facilitated the participation of Ms Esma Gumberidze, YouthLED Integrity Board member from Georgia. Esma actively contributed to discussions on the need to educate and empower youth with disabilities to understand and prevent corruption in order to increase inclusivity and decrease the division, gaps and discrimination against people with disabilities. She also participated in the High-Level gathering of the “Be Seen, Be Heard” campaign where she met with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ms Jayathma Wickramanayake.
Discrimination can indeed result in greater exposure to corruption: groups exposed to discrimination for instance tend to suffer from an above-average risk of falling victim to corruption, in which corrupt actors intentionally target them for exploitation. Both corruption and discrimination create and perpetuate structural inequalities and are interconnected and both design circumstances in which people with disabilities are likely to be victimized and incapacitated from receiving needed services and resources necessary for their well-being.
The fight against corruption is the fight for the inclusion and the betterment of lives of people with disability. We must work together to “leave no one behind” and ensure young people with disabilities are included in anti-corruption policymaking and all other activities aimed at implementing the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year.
Esma, having been a member of the YouthLED Integrity Board since early 2022, has provided guidance and support to UNODC when it comes to the interlinkages between anti-corruption and disability inclusion.
If you are interested in the work that Esma and the other members of the YouthLED Integrity Board are doing, visit YouthLED or reach out to us at uncac.youth@un.org.