Ananya Kamboj, young ambassador of Football for Friendship and founder of ‘Sports to Lead' will travel to the United Nations Headquarters in New York to attend the United Nations Youth Plenary to be held on 31 March 2020, and the ECOSOC Youth Forum, to take place on 1-2 April 2020.
For the last three years, Ananya is representing India as a Young Journalist at the global Football for Friendship (F4F) social program. Football for Friendship is an annual International Children's social program that unites children of different nationalities, different genders, and different physical abilities. The goal of the project is the development of children's football, fostering tolerance and respect for different cultures and nationalities among children from different countries. The key values that the participants support and promote are friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honor.
The Youth Plenary will be held in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and will serve as an opportunity to reaffirm our collective commitment to multilateralism through an inclusive, forward-looking, youth-driven dialogue. The ECOSOC Youth Forum will offer a dynamic platform for youth to engage with the Member States and capture ideas and solutions from young people for the Decade of Action and Delivery for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Youth Forum will promote innovative, institutionalized approaches and initiatives for advancing the youth agenda at national, regional and global levels.
It is an annual platform through which youth from the Member States contribute to policy discussions at the United Nations. During the Forum, youth representatives from around the world will discuss, share ideas, and think together about what they can do to advocate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Ananya will take part in brainstorming sessions, interactive speaker panels and discussions with the Member States on the theme, "Accelerated Action and Transformative Pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development".
The Forum provides an important platform for the youth from India and around the world to exhibit their commitment and innovative solutions to development challenges and to share their valuable experience with peers.
Kamboj Society spoke to Ananya Kamboj in an exclusive interview ahead of her trip to United Nations and this is what the young ambassador had to say, “It will be a true honour for me, as a young Indian to be part of this conference and love to share my views on how Football for Friendship (sports) can act as a tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Football for Friendship has a unique ability to unify and inspire diverse audiences across the globe. With its universal appeal and cultural value, Football for Friendship (sports) has the potential to act as a catalyst to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - a series of ambitious targets to end extreme poverty, advance inclusive development and tackle climate change by 2030. It will be an opportunity to re-unite with fellow youth representatives from across the world as well as create new friendships. Most importantly it's a chance to have one-on-one interactions with key stakeholders and players of not only youth affairs but the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
