On 7 and 8 April 2021, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum celebrated its 10th anniversary in a historic event that welcomed over 20,000 young people around the world — marking a historic moment as the largest and most diverse gathering of young people at the UN ever.
The ECOSOC Youth Forum is a unique platform for young people, Member States and partners to dialogue on the issues most important to young people today and for youth to share their vision and actions on implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
This year, 23 young people leading on resilient recovery in the Decade of Action and championing SDG implementation in their communities joined the conversation as part of the Forum’s plenary sessions. Let’s meet them and learn more about their work!
Itinterunga Rae Bainteiti
— Representative of the Pacific Youth Council, Kiribati
“We support evidence-based research on the impacts of the COVID-19 on youth mental health and general well-being in the Pacific. Invests in economic recovery, plans that supports youth entrepreneurs and financing youth-led initiatives that are COVID-19 responsive.”
Itinterunga Rae Bainteiti is of Banaban and Kiribati origins and was raised and educated in Fiji. Rae’s environment and social justice work are linked to Kiribati people’s histories and the extent of environmental degradation caused by extensive mining.
Rae has worked for the Kiribati Local Government Association for four years and volunteered at the Kiribati Climate Action Network for 9 years. Through the years, he has co-founded several youth organizations, including Kiribati Against Corruption, Kiribati National Youth Association of NGOs, and other initiatives such as the Kiribati Aotearoa Diaspora Directorate Charitable Trust and the Auckland Banaban Christian Fellowship Support Hub.
Among other roles, Rae is a Member of the Technical Advisory Group for the Pacific Youth Council and runs a consultancy firm supporting the Kiribati and Banaban civil society organizations in good governance and social work.