UP Youth Summit on Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, are a global blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Young people—who account for over 1.2 billion globally—are both beneficiaries and essential partners in realizing the 2030 Agenda. More than one-third of SDG targets explicitly or implicitly reference youth, highlighting their role in empowerment, participation, and well-being.

In the Philippines, millions of young people have the potential to drive innovation, advocacy, and action toward sustainable development. Recognizing this, the University of the Philippines (UP) Office of the President, through the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs—Office of Student Development Services (OVPAA-OSDS), the UP CIFAL Philippines, and the UP Asian Center will host its very first SDG Youth Summit on March 12-13, 2026 at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium.

This two-day capacity-building event aims to enhance UP’s young leaders’ understanding of sustainable development, equip them with actionable skills, and foster collaboration among them in implementing grassroots projects in their own communities.

Objectives:

  1. Create an avenue for collaboration among UP student leaders from different constituent universities
    to exchange experiences from their communities and develop joint plans and strategies to push
    forward the UN SDG anchored to their needs.
  2. Deepen understanding of the SDGs, their relevance to youth work, and their integration into
    organizational mandates through lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities.
  3. Equip UP’s generation of young leaders with training, knowledge, and resources to advocate for
    and implement SDG-aligned initiatives in their communities, strengthening leadership, governance,
    and civic engagement.
  4. Highlight the role of arts and culture in promoting sustainable development and inspiring creative
    solutions.
  5. Ensure that participants leave the summit with well-structured SDG project proposals and
    commitments to implement them.

The summit expects to convene 300 student leaders from all UP constituent universities. Resource speakers from various fields will enrich the learning experience and guide participants in developing their capstone projects. Through lectures, workshops, and their capstone outputs, participants are expected to become the University’s partners in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in their communities.

UP Youth Summit on Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, are a global blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Young people—who account for over 1.2 billion globally—are both beneficiaries and essential partners in realizing the 2030 Agenda. More than one-third of SDG targets explicitly or implicitly reference youth, highlighting their role in empowerment, participation, and well-being.

In the Philippines, millions of young people have the potential to drive innovation, advocacy, and action toward sustainable development. Recognizing this, the University of the Philippines (UP) Office of the President, through the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs—Office of Student Development Services (OVPAA-OSDS), the UP CIFAL Philippines, and the UP Asian Center will host its very first SDG Youth Summit on March 12-13, 2026 at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium.

This two-day capacity-building event aims to enhance UP’s young leaders’ understanding of sustainable development, equip them with actionable skills, and foster collaboration among them in implementing grassroots projects in their own communities.

Objectives:

  1. Create an avenue for collaboration among UP student leaders from different constituent universities
    to exchange experiences from their communities and develop joint plans and strategies to push
    forward the UN SDG anchored to their needs.
  2. Deepen understanding of the SDGs, their relevance to youth work, and their integration into
    organizational mandates through lectures, discussions, and hands-on activities.
  3. Equip UP’s generation of young leaders with training, knowledge, and resources to advocate for
    and implement SDG-aligned initiatives in their communities, strengthening leadership, governance,
    and civic engagement.
  4. Highlight the role of arts and culture in promoting sustainable development and inspiring creative
    solutions.
  5. Ensure that participants leave the summit with well-structured SDG project proposals and
    commitments to implement them.

The summit expects to convene 300 student leaders from all UP constituent universities. Resource speakers from various fields will enrich the learning experience and guide participants in developing their capstone projects. Through lectures, workshops, and their capstone outputs, participants are expected to become the University’s partners in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in their communities.