!

The$Youth$Solutions$Forum$2017$$
Official$Event$Report$
!
!
The$Youth$Solutions$Forum:$Enabling$Advocates$for$the$Global$Goals$
!
Brought! about! by! the! need! to! consolidate! and! empower! youth! action! towards! the!
achievement! of! the! United! Nations! Sustainable! Development! Goals! (SDGs),! the! UN!
Sustainable! Development! Solutions! Network! –! Youth! in! the! Philippines! (SDSN! Youth)!
gathered! over! two! hundred! (200)! leaders! from! throughout! the! Philippines! in! Ateneo! De!
Manila!University!in!Quezon!City!for!the!Youth!Solutions!Forum!2017.!!
!
Expected!to!be!an!annual!activity!of!SDSN!Youth!in!the!Philippines,!the!Youth!Solutions!
Forum,!was!launched!in!the!grand!Escaler!Hall!of!Ateneo!De!Manila!University!on!July!29,!
2017.!With!the!forum’s!inaugural!theme!being!“Enabling!Advocates!for!the!Global!Goals”,!
the!YSF!aimed!to:!
!
a.! Educate!the!youth!about!the!SDGs,!its!history,!and!its!importance!to!the!development!
of!the!Philippines,!most!especially!to!the!young!Filipinos.!!
b.! Create! concrete,! actionable,! and! sustainable! roadmaps! the! youth! can! actively!
participate!in!to!achieve!and!realize!the!Sustainable!Development!Goals.!!
c.! Create! the! biggest! committed! and! dedicated! pool! of! youth! SDG! advocates! in! the!
country! who! can! volunteer! to! implement! SDG! and! SDSN! programs! and! projects!
throughout!the!country.!
d.! Promote!the!Youth!Solutions!Report!in!the!Philippines!and!inspire,!capacitate,!and!
empower!young!Filipinos!to!create!concrete!and!effective!solutions!for!sustainable!
development.!!
e.! Strengthen!and!create!strong!partnerships!among!SDSN!Philippines,!SDSN!Youth!–!
Philippines!and!its!current!partners!from!the!Academe,!the!Government,!National!and!
International!NGOs,!and!the!Private!Sectors!
!
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!

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!
Participants,!Partners,!and!Reach!
!
Participants*
!
A! total! of! one! hundred! seventy! youth! (170)! leaders! from! all]over! the! Philippines! were!
present! at! the! forum,! seventy! (70)! people! more! than! the! expected! one! hundred! (100)!
participants.!Each!participant!was!chosen!based!on!their!affiliation!to!and!representation!of!
different! SDSN! Youth! accredited! organizations,! National! Youth! Commission! Registered!
organizations,! and! partner! communities! and! programs.! A! total! of! thirty! leaders! from!
different!partners!were!also!present!in!the!event.!!
!
The! following! table! shows! the! demographics! of! the! participants! of! the! Youth! Solutions!
Forum:!
!
Demographics!of!Participants!of!the!Youth!Solutions!Forum!2017!
Over]all!Participants! 200!
Participant!Mix! Participants! Partners!
170! 30!
Geographical! Foreign! Luzon! Visayas! Mindanao!
Representation! 7! 115! 31! 17!
Gender!(w/o!partners)! Male! Female!
88! 82!
Organizations!Represented! 114!
SDSN! Youth! Organizations! 62!
Present!
SDSN! Youth! Organization! Est.!75,200!members!
Membership! Reach! with!
represented!organizations!
Communities!where!youth! Est.!98!communities!
leader]participants!are!
taking!action!in!(schools,!
local!communities,!cities,!
programs)!
!
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A! total! of! one! hundred! fourteen! (114)! youth! organizations,! where! sixty]two! (62)!
organizations! are! SDSN! Youth! accredited! with! an! estimated! 75,200! members,! were!
represented!in!the!event.!As!far!as!the!reach!of!all!organizations!are!concerned,!young!people!
came! from! or! are! working! in! ninety]eight! different! communities! or! program! areas!
throughout!the!Philippines.!
!
Partners*
*
UN! Sustainable! Development! Solutions! Network! Youth! forged! different! partnerships! to!
successfully!deliver!the!Youth!Solutions!Forum.!A!total!twenty!(2)!partners!strengthened!the!
event.!!
!
Partners$of$the$Youth$Solutions$Forum$2017$
Major$Event$Partners$(9)!
Forum! on! Family! Planning! and! LifeBank!Foundation,!Inc.!
Development!(The!Forum)!
United!Nations!Populations!Fund!(UNFPA)! United!Laboratories!(UniLab)!
United! Nations! Development! Program! UN!Sustainable!Development!Solutions!
(UNDP)! Network!–!Philippines!(SDSN!Phils.)!
Ateneo!De!Manila!University!(ADMU)! National!Youth!Commission!(NYC)!
Commission!on!Human!Rights!(CHR)! !
Event$Partners$(8)$
Cong.!Toff!De!Venecia! Cong.!Kit!Belmonte!
Vice!Mayor!Joy!Belmonte! Sowing!Legacy!Movement!
United!States!(US)Embassy!in!Manila! Youth!Environmental!Forum!
Youth!First!Initiative! Burger!Company!
Media$Partners$(3)$
When!in!Manila! Magic!89.9!
Click!the!City! !
!
!
Internet*Reach*
*
Sixty]nine! (69)! posts! were! published! on! the! Facebook! page! of! SDSN! Youth!
(fb.com/sdsnyouthph).! The! posts! included! application! procedures,! event! processes! and!
program,!information!about!SDSN!Youth!in!the!Philippines!and!Global,!the!17!Sustainable!

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Development!Goals,!the!partners!of!the!Youth!Solutions!Forum,!and!different!youth!solutions!
form!different!countries!world]wide.!!
!
The! following! table! shows! the! reach! of! the! published! internet! posts! about! the! Youth!
Solutions!Forum!2017:!
!
Internet$Reach$of$the$Youth$Solutions$Forum$
Total$ #$ of$ Published$ Face$ 69!different!posts!
Book$posts$
Total$ #$ of$ Unique$ Views$ 407,021!Views!
for$all$published$posts$
Post$ with$ the$ highest$ #$ Views$ Date$of$Post$
Views$ 47,155! 06/24/17!
View$Mix$ Organic$ NonVOrganic$(Paid)$
311,529! 95,492!
Total$#$of$Unique$Clicks$on$ 22,506!Clicks!
Posts$
Post$ with$ the$ highest$ #$ Clicks$ Date$of$Post$
Views$ 3600! 07/14/17!
Total$ #$ of$ Unique$ 25,957!Interactions!
Interactions$on$Posts$
Post$ with$ the$ highest$ #$ of$ Interactions$ Date$of$Post$
Unique$ Interactions$ 14,600! 06/28/17!
(Shares,$ comments,$
reactions)$
!
!
The!consolidated!figure!for!all!views!of!the!sixty]nine!posts!published!on!the!official!SDSN!
Youth!Philippines!Facebook!page!(the!main!communications!instrument!to!promote!the!YSF)!
is!at!407,021,!with!311,529!views!being!organic!and!95,492!views!from!paid!aids.!Unique!
clicks!totaled!to!22,506!and!unique!interactions!totaled!to!25,957.!!
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Program,!Curriculum,!and!Participant!Learning!
!
The!following!table!details!of!the!activities!of!the!program!and!the!topics!and!points!which!
were!discussed!at!the!Youth!Solutions!Forum!2017:!
!
!
Time$ Activity$ Resource$ Topics$and$Discussions$
Person/s$
8:00] Registration! Delegate! !
8:30! Management!
Team!
8:30] Opening! Program!Host! !
8:50! Ceremonies!
8:50] Welcoming! Siamak$Sam$ Mr.! Sam! Loni! also! gave! an! introduction! of! the!
9:00! Remarks! Loni$ Sustainable! Development! Solutions! Network! ]!
Global! Youth!and!shared!the!goal!of!the!program,!which!
Coordinator! is! to! empower! the! youth! all! over! the! world! in!
UN!SDSN!Youth$ order! to! create! sustainable! solutions! for! the!
numerous!issues!the!world!is!currently!facing.!He!
believes! that! the! conference! is! happening! right!
when! the! solutions! are! needed! ]! creative!
solutions!that!will!stem!out!of!the!youth's’!bright!
ideas.!
$
9:00] Plenary!1:! USec.$Philip$Dy$$ Vice! President! Robredo! extended! her!
9:30! Laylayan! Chief!of!Staff! appreciations!for!the!opportunity!to!speak!before!
Economics! Office!of!the!Vice! the!youth!who!attended!the!event.!On!her!letter,!
and!the! President!of!the! great! leaders! were! characterized! as! those! who!
Sustainable! Philippines$ are!not!just!charismatic!and!excellent!people!who!
Development! inspire!others!to!do!extraordinary!things.!Rather!
Goals! she! characterized! them! as! powerful! advocates!
who! are! willing! to! fight! for! issues! larger! than!
themselves,! who! are! geared! to! create! impact! to!
the!society,!and!who!can!give!voice!for!the!people!
who! cannot.! Poverty,! hunger,! corruption! are!
some!of!the!problems!that!the!world!faces!today.!

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!
She!reiterated!the!importance!of!extending!help!
to!the!farthest!and!poorest!communities.!People!
in!those!areas!are!those!who!need!our!time!and!
effort.! She! encouraged! that! we! must! work!
together! to! break! the! cycle! of! poverty.! She! also!
introduced!her!flagship!program!called!the!Angat!
Buhay! and! has! urged! UN! SDSN! Youth! and! its!
member!organisations!to!be!part!of!the!program!
as!well.!!
$
9:30] Plenary!2.1:! Dr.$Rosalinda$ Dr.! Rosalinda! Ofreneo! focused! on! Sustainable!
10:20! Sustainable! Ofreneo.$$ Development! and! how! the! movement! for!
Development! Deputy!Network! Sustainable! Development,! with! the! United!
and!the! Chairperson! Nations,! came! up! with! the! UN! Sustainable!
Sustainable! SDSN!Philippines$ Development!Goals.!
Development! !
Goals! According! to! Dr.! Ofreneo,! there! are! two! basic!
goals!in!the!pursuit!of!Sustainable!Development:!
These! are! Well! being! and! Affirmation! of! Life.!
Moving! forward,! she! acknowledged! that!
Sustainable! Development! is! not! only! about!
growth!nor!economy!or!income.!She!ask!us!to!look!
at! things! in! a! more! holistic! view.! In! order! to!
understand!it!in!a!much!more!profound!manner!
she!suggested!that!there!are!five!P’s!that!the!lot!of!
us!should!remember!in!this!age!of!the!SDG’s.!The!
five!P’s!are!the!following!
!
! People!
•! Planet!
•! Prosperity!
•! Peace,!!
•! Partnership!
!
Dr.! Ofreneo! proceeded! with! the! discussion! by!

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introducing! the! 17! Goals,! and! asks! everyone! to!
think! about! what! the! Philippines! has! already!
gone!through,!and!what!can!the!Youth!do!about!it!
in!line!with!the!following!goals!that!she!was!about!
to!present.!The!Goals!were!presented!in!Pairs.$
10:20 Plenary!2.2! Ms.!Girlie!Grace! Ms.! Girlie! Casimiro! focused! on! the! Sustaiable!
] The! Casimiro! Development!Goals.!In!her!talk,!she!enumerated!
11:20! Sustainable! Chief*Economic* and! explained! all! seventeen! (17)! Sustainable!
Development! Development* Developmnt!Goals!and!how!people!and!different!
Goals! Specialist* sectors! are! important! in! achieving! this! set! of!
National* ambitious!goals.!She!detailed!in!her!presentation!
Economic* details!on!each!goal!and!some!of!the!needed!steps!
Development* on!realizing!such!goals.!!
Authority* !
$ Furthermore,!MS.!Casimira!wanted!to!encourage!
the! youth! to! take! part! in! strengthening! the!
implementation!of!the!SDGs.!She!highlighted!that!
the!youth!can!help!by!advocating!the!SDGs!with!
the! use! of! social! media,! by! writing! blogs! about!
them,! by! participating! in! forums! that! require!
their! voices! to! be! heard! and! by! volunteering! to!
help! reach! more! Filipinos,! especially! the!
marginalized.!They!were!left!with!the!question!to!
examine!their!interests,!to!find!what!it!is!that!is!
close!to!their!hearts!so!that!they!may!find!what!it!
is!that!they!could!help!with!in!terms!of!achieving!
a!sustainable!country.!
11:20 Plenary!3:! Asec.$Percival$ Comm.! Cendaña! shares! Social! Development! and!
] Youth! Cendaña$ the! context! anchored! on! Youth! Development,!
12:00! Situation!in! Commissioner!for! helping!the!youth!live!a!full!and!developed!life!by!
the! Luzon! enabling! and! involving! them! to! realize! their!
Philippines! National!Youth! aspirations.! He! shares! this! as! one! of! the!
Commission! challenges!of!Social!Development,!and!continues!
(NYC)$ by! imparting! the! development! formula! of!
‘Increasing! (+)! Enablers! and! Decreasing! (])!
Deterrents’.! He! reminds! the! delegates! on! the!

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country’s!pressing!matter!on!the!rapid!increase!of!
HIV! cases,! identifying! the! Philippines! as! the!
world’s! “Gold! Medalist”! towards! this! issue;! and!
the! idea! of! governance! with! the! atmosphere! of!
duty]bearers!and!rights]holders.!Percival!further!
challenges!the!delegates,!as!representatives!of!the!
Youth,! to! be! duty]bearers! in! the! pursuit! of! the!
Sustainable!Development!Goals!(SDG)!by!creating!
creative!solutions!to!solve!complications.!
$
12:20 Lunch! Delegates! !
]1:00!
1:30! Learning! Break]out!Group! I.! Health$BreakVOut$Session$
–! Sessions!on! Moderators!and!
4:00! the! Speakers! Dr.*Joseph*Michael*Singh*
Sustainable! ! United*Nations*Population*Fund*
Development! Health$ BreakV !
Goals!(Break] out$Session$ Joseph!Singh!focused!his!discussion!on!the!status!
out!Sessions)! $ of! Maternal! Health! and! Family! Planning! in! the!
Dr.!Joseph! Philippines,! sharing! statistics! tracking! maternal!
Michael!Singh! death! over]time! –! where! about! 1,719! mothers!
United*Nations* with! Civil! Registration! die! every! year! due! to!
Population*Fund* pregnancy! (5! per! day).! He! stresses! the! need! to!
* significantly! reduce! this! number! –! emphasizing!
Ms.!Chi!Laigo! that!no!mother!should!die!giving!life.!
Vallido! !!
Forum*for*Family* Joseph! enlightens! the! delegates! with! the!
Planning*and* correlation! of! the! Philippines’! mortality! ratio! to!
Development,*Inc* its!public!health!system.!He!opens!with!the!idea!
* that!Family!Planning!(FP)!averts!maternal!deaths,!
Sustainable$ sharing! its! purpose! to! have! women! realize! the!
Cities$BreakVOut$ right! to! decide! on! a! desired! family! size.! He!
Session$ reminds!the!participants!on!the!country’s!lack!of!
$ education! on! FP! through! data! presented! on! the!
Mr.!Nicanor! rise! of! the! country’s! present! issue! on! teenage!
Perlas! pregnancy.! He! shares! the! relationship! of! risk!

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Lifebank* taking! behaviors! to! the! increase! of! teen!
Foundation* pregnancy,!conveying!that!there!is!likelihood!for!
* young! women! to! get! pregnant! if! they! portray!
Environtment$ more! risk! taking! behaviors! such! as! smoking,!
BreakVout$ drinking,!and!use!of!illegal!substances.!!
Session$ !
$ *
Ms.!Floradema! Ms.*Chi*Laigo*Vallido*
Eleazar! Forum*for*Family*Planning*and*Development,*Inc.*
Programme* !
Manager,*ISD* Chi!Vallido!begins!by!reviewing!the!8!MDGs!and!
UNDP*Philippines* focuses!on!the!third!SDG:!Good!Health!and!Well]
* being.!She!concentrates!on!reproductive!rights!in!
Mr.!Ryan!Madrid! means! of! presenting! the! journey! of! the!
US*Embassy* Reproductive! Health! (RH)! Bill! by! sharing! the!
* importance! of! Family! Planning! (FP)! and! sexual!
Engr.!Ludwig! education,!and!the!issue!of!poverty!in!relation!to!
Federigan,!MBA,! the! topic.! She! stresses! the! rights! of! women! to!
SBEP! make! decisions! for! themselves! and! their! lives:!
Young* how!supporting!RH!will!break!the!cycle!to!helping!
Environmental* women! and! their! families,! and! that! by! ensuring!
Forum* reproductive! rights! we! guarantee! universal!
* access! to! sexual! and! reproductive! health! care!
Peace$and$ services.! She! emphasizes! that! inequality! is!
Human$Rights$ nowhere! more! evident! than! in! reproductive!
BreakVOut$ healthcare,! where! maternal! mortality! and! child!
Session$ mortality! is! apparent! among! poor;! and! shares!
$ statistics! on! Adolescent! Fertility,! illustrating! the!
Ms.!Angie!Umbac! Philippines!being!the!third!highest!in!South!East!
Commission*on* Asia!with!a!7.3%!increase!from!2002!to!2013.!
Human*Rights* !
* !
Mr.!Marc!Louis! II.! Sustainable$ Communities$ BreakVOut$
Siapno! Session$
Commission*on* $
Human*Rights* Mr.*Nicanor*Perlas*

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Lifebank*
*
Mr.! Perlas! explained! that! cities! are! very! much!
communities! considering! how! they! stand! as! a!
minor! society.! He! presented! a! chart! about!
Globalization! from! the! Phil! Agenda21! as! a! basis!
for! the! entire! discussion.! The! framework! shows!
factors! that! lead! to! unsustainable! development.!
The! factors! are! as! follows;! Jobless,! Futureless,!
Ruthless,!and!Voiceless.!
!!!
In!his!discussion,!he!ruled!out!NGOs!as!part!of!the!
Sustainable! Development,! since! it! does! not! fall!
under!the!definition!of!“Society”.!He!then!presents!
3!structures!of!society,!they!are;!Culture,!(which!
are!the!civil!societies),!Politics!(government),!and!
Economy!(business).!
!!
He!raises!the!topic!on!poverty,!and!that!seventy]
five!percent!of!it!is!concerned!with!agriculture.!He!
then! presents! another! framework! by! LifeBank,!
which! is! focused! on! sustainable! agriculture.! Mr.!
Perlas!says!that!one!of!the!two!key!principles!in!
the! PDP! from! 2017]2022! is! the! Sustainable!
Integrated!Ace!Development!(SIAD).!
!!
He!then!goes!back!to!the!main!delinquent!for!his!
discussion! which! are! the! Artificial! Intelligence.!!
He! says! that! PHD! is! just! a! field,! and! that! if! one!
does! not! go! the! extra! mile! to! top! it,! Artificial!
Intelligence!will!surely!overpower!anyone!in!that!
field.! He! says! that! the! main! conversation! in! the!
2030!SDG!is!that!the!end!of!humanity!could!arise.!
And! he! believes! that! this! should! not! discourage!
us,!instead,!inspire!us!to!find!out!and!learn!more!
about!humanity.!

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!
III.! Environment$BreakVOut$Session$
$
$$
Ms.*Floradema*Eleazar*
Programme*Manager,*ISD*
UNDP*Philippines*
!!
Ms.! Eleazar! showed! the! current! status! of! our!
country’s! natural! resources.! Our! country! is! the!
second!largest!in!Asia!when!it!comes!to!coral!reef!
covering!26,!000!km2!area.!Being!an!archipelagic!
country,! we! are! home! of! marine! biodiversity! in!
the! world.! Globally,! oceans! contribute! at! about!
three!(3)!trillion!US!dollars!to!the!global!economy,!
100! billion! USD! from! fisheries! and! aquaculture,!
271!billion!USD!valuation!for!coastal!tourism!and!
900! billion! USD! from! oil! extraction.! Given! these!
valuations,! our! ocean! goods! and! services! are! at!
great!risk!where!it!costs!billions!of!US!dollars.!Our!
country! is! said! to! be! the! second! biggest!
contributor!of!ocean!plastics.!
!!
Biodiversity! is! a! short! term! for! biological!
diversity!which!refers!to!the!variability!of!life!and!
the! ecological! systems! they! take! part! in.! Genes,!
Species!and!Ecosystems!are!the!three!(3)!levels!of!
biodiversity.!Philippines!is!among!seventeen!(17)!
megadiverse!countries,!it!was!found!to!have!high!
biodiversity! index! in! relation! to! per! unit! area.!
However,!it!is!also!a!diversity!hotspot,!in!fact!we!
ranked!2nd!all!over!the!world.!This!phenomena!is!
due!to!population!growth!which!brought!massive!
land! development,! incursions! of! logging! within!
diverse! areas! and! our! inability! to! protect.!
Thirteen! (13)! percent! of! country’s! protected!

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areas! are! not! effectively! managed.! Also,! it! faces!
threats! such! as! introduction! of! invasive! species,!
pollution,! habitat! loss,! over! extraction! of!
resources!and!onset!of!climate!change.!Moreover,!
thirty!three!(33)!million!Filipinos!are!affected!by!
land! degradation,! it! is! due! to! changing! weather!
patterns,!too!much!application!of!fertilizer!which!
results!to!low!income!yields.!Our!country!is!also!
said!to!be!a!natural!typhoon!path,!given!that!it!is!
geographically!located!in!the!Pacific!typhoon!belt.!
!!
!
Mr.*Ryan*Madrid*
US*Embassy*
*
Mr.!Madrid!is!a!member!of!Young!SouthEast!Asian!
Leaders! Initiative! (YSEALI).! This! program! was!
launched! in! 2013,! it! aims! to! strengthen! youth!
leadership! development! and! networking! in!
ASEAN.! It! focuses! in! civic! engagement,!
environment,! economic! development! and!
education.!The!program!invests!on!people,!it!aims!
to!increase!capacities!of!young!people!to!address!
community!challenges!by!focusing!with!four!(4)!
pillars! such! as! people! to! people! exchanges! and!
networking,! funds! provision,! skill! development!
and! access! to! information! and! tools.! YSEALI!
offers! three! (3)! advocate! camps! such! as! US!
exchanges!which!have!been!participated!by!more!
than! 150! Filipinos! since! 2014,! Regional!
exchanges!which!have!been!participated!by!over!
200!Filipino!YSEALI!members,!and!Grants!which!
offers! 20,! 000! dollars! to! promising! youth]led!
projects.!
!

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Three! (3)! YSEALI! alumni! shared! their!
experiences! and! learnings! during! their!
immersion.! Mr.! Madrid! encouraged! interested!
participants! to! join! and! be! part! of! the! YSEALI!
family.!
!
*
Engr.*Ludwig*Federigan,*MBA,*SBEP*
Young*Environmental*Forum*
$$
As! a! kick]starter! to! the! discussion,! participants!
played! a! game! called! “Climate! Change! Game”.!!
After!the!game,!he!began!his!discussion!with!the!
question,! “What! is! the! most! serious! issue! facing!
our! world?”! According! to! the! World! Economic!
Forum!Global!Shapers!Annual!Survey!conducted!
in!2016,!forty]five!percent!(45%)!responded,!thus!
identified! climate! change! and! destruction! of!
natural! resources! as! two! of! the! most! serious!
issues.!!
!
Accordingly,! for! the! last! 100! years,! the! Earth’s!
surface! temperature! has! increased! by! 0.85! OC!
which! supported! by! a! visualization! heat! map!
indicating! the! surface! temperature.! Also,! he!
explained! that! the! global! temperature! is!
correlated! to! the! amount! of! CO2! concentration.!
Increasing! amount! of! CO2! concentration! is!
attributed! to! anthropogenic! activities! such! as!
massive! coal! mining,! industrialization,! forest!
burning,! air! transportation,! oil! production,!
fertilizer!application,!industrial!agriculture,!crop!
burning!and!many!others.!He!showed!some!video!
clips!and!images!containing!evidences!of!climate!
change.!Massive!strong!typhoons,!severe!flooding!
and! prolonged! and! intense! drought! were!

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identified! as! climate! change! indicators.! In! fact,!
our!country!ranked!fifth!(5th)!as!the!most!affected!
country,! in! terms! of! disasters,! from! 1995]2004.!
He!believe!that!one!of!the!reasons!why!we!are!a!
poor!country!is!that!enormous!portion!of!national!
budget!is!allocated!for!rehabilitation.!!!
!!
IV.! Peace$ and$ Human$ Rights$ BreakVout$
Session$
!
Ms.*Angie*Umbac*
Commission*on*Human*Rights*
*
Ms.!Umbac!began!her!presentation!by!introducing!
the! mission! and! vision! of! the! Commission! on!
Human!Rights,!they!are!the!beacon!of!truth.!She!
also! gave! snippets! of! the! previous! SoNA! and!
related! her! discussion! on! some! key! points:!
opportunities!from!the!President!and!the!role!of!
the!youth!in!the!field!of!human!rights.!
!
She!gave!importance!on!four!of!the!most!relevant!
SDGs! for! the! Commission! on! Human! Rights! ]!
Education,!Gender!Equality,!Reduced!Inequalities!
and! Peace,! Justice! and! Strong! Institutions.! The!
issue!on!LGBT!is!something!that!she!thinks!we!are!
lucky! enough! to! have! the! President! supporting.!
However,! she! is! quite! skeptical! when! the!
ordinance!of!protecting!those!who!are!part!of!the!
LGBT!in!certain!areas!only!and!not!in!the!entire!
country.!!
!
Moving! into! more! specific! concerns! of! the! CHR,!
she!mentioned!the!rampant!extrajudicial!killings!
that!have!long!started!since!the!President!took!his!
post.! It! is! important! that! there! is! proper!

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communication!and!implementation!of!rules!even!
when!there!is!crime!involved.!The!current!status!
of! the! country! as! of! the! moment! is! built! upon!
addressing! crime! without! accountability.! And!
that! is! where! the! faults! and! the! gaps! are! found.!
Ms.! Umbac! reiterated! that! the! talk! was! in! no!
means! an! attack! towards! the! President! but! a!
means!of!educating!people!within!their!reach!of!
what!supposedly!is!done.!!
*
Mr.*Marc*Louis*Siapno*
Commission*on*Human*Rights*
*
Mr.! Siapno! started! his! presentation! by!
introducing! the! role! of! the! CHR! in! the!
government.!!
!
He! moved! into! letting! the! delegates! know! what!
the!CHR!is!and!what!they!are!not.!They!CHR!are!
advocates!for!human!rights.!They!are!considered!
the!watchdogs!for!the!plight!of!the!marginalized!
and! the! vulnerable.! They! are! the! adviser! to! the!
congress!to!protect!human!rights.!And!lastly,!they!
are!educators.!They!ensure!that!the!public!knows!
their!role!and!what!they!are!advocating!for.!!
!
The!current!status!of!the!CHR!in!the!government!
today! is! that! they! do! not! exist! to! be! anti]
government!but!instead!are!advocates!for!when!
the!human!rights!of!Filipinos!are!under!attack.!He!
then!showed!the!numbers!of!the!growing!killings!
in!the!country!and!how!we!are!on!the!top!of!the!
list!of!countries!on!extrajudicial!killings.!!
!
He!ended!by!sharing!the!current!need!to!expand!
human!potentials,!to!educate!more!people!about!

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what! their! rights! are! and! what! they! can! do! to!
advocate! for! human! rights.! The! importance! of!
reiterating! the! rule! of! law! is! also! an! on]going!
advocacy!of!the!CHR.!

4:00!]! Assembly!at! ! !
4:15! the!Plenary!
Hall!
4:15!]! Presentation! Delegates! !
5:00! of!Proposed!
Roadmaps!
5:00!]! Closing! Xavier$Peredo$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Mr!Peredo!began!with!heartfelt!gratitude!towards!
5:25! Remarks!and! Philippine* the! SDSN! Youth! and! the! volunteers.! He! further!
Presentation! Network* opens! his! engagement! by! sharing! a! quotation!
of!SDSN!Youth! Coordinator$ from! Former! President! Fidel! V.! Ramos! (FVR)!
saying! that! “The! Philippines! is! a! Sinking! Ship,”!
supporting! this! through! series! of! issues! in! the!
Philippines!by!illustrating!problems!on!Philippine!
traffic,! education,! health,! social! inequality,! and!
generally! human! rights.! Above! all! data! and!
statistics!on!these!pressing!issues,!he!emphasizes!
that! “The! Youth! is! the! Hope! of! the! Country”!
quoting!Jose!P.!Rizal!(JPR);!and!brings!us!back!to!

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how! the! world! and! its! people! have! created! the!
SDGs!through!a!framework!to!protect!our!rights!
and!change!communities.!!
!
Mr.! Peredo! also! introduced! the! UN! SDSN! Youth!
and! the! SDSN! Network.! He! outlined! the!
framework!and!structure!of!SDSN!Youth!and!how!
the!UN!initiative!aims!to!empower!young!people!
to!be!more!active!in!development.!He!strsses!that!
UN!SDSN!Youth!promotes!empowerment!and!the!
united!effort!of!young!people!towards!the!SDGs!!
!
He!focuses!on!how!young!people!are!vital!in!the!
realizaton!of!the!SDGs!and!in!the!development!of!
the! Philippines! in! General.! He! stresses! the! the!
Philippines! cannot! develop! fully! if! all! people! do!
not! do! their! social! responsibility! to! the! country!
and!to!the!people.!!
!
$
5:25] Oath!of! Julio$Macrahon$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
$
5:30! Commitment! Lead*Convenor*for*
to!the!SDGs! Luzon$
Master!of!Ceremonies! Ms.$Gugu$ $
Francisco$
SDSN!Youth!–!
Philippines!
$
Mark$Conrad$
Ravanzo$
I!am!M.A.D.!
!
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PostHEvent!Outcomes!on!Ground!
!
As! one! of! the! requirements! of! participating! in! the! Youth! Solutions! Forum! to! further! the!
learnings! they! get! from! the! forum,! organizations! and! individual! participants! are! asked! to!
report! their! post]event! programs! and! projects! which! are! related! to! the! UN! Sustainable!
Development! Goals.! The! following! programs! were! implemented! by! or! partnered! with! UN!
SDSN!Youth,!member!organizations,!and!participants!present!in!the!Youth!Solutions!Forum!
2017!and!was!accredited!by!UN!SDSN!Youth!as!partner!or!institutional!programs:!
!
Event$ Location$ Implementing$ Description$
Organization$
or$Participant$
International! Iloilo!City! National! Youth! National! Youth! Commission!
Youth! Day! Commission! invited! the! UN! SDSN! Youth! to!
Celebrations!! celebrate!the!International!Youth!
(Official!National! Day! with! over! three! hundred!
Celebration)! youth! leaders! in! Iloilo! City.! UN!
SDSN! Youth! discussed! the! UN!
SDGs!and!how!young!people!are!
vital! in! the! movement! towards!
the! realization! of! it.! Moreso,!
learning! from! the! YSF! was! also!
imparted! by! Mr.! Xavier! Peredo!
and!a!YSF]participant!and!ilongo!
youth!leaders!who!were!present!
in!the!event.!!
International! Muntinlupa! United! Nations! UNYAP! and! SDSN! Youth!
Youth! Day! City! Youth! partnered! to! celebrate! the!
Celebrations! Association! of! International! Youth! Day! in! the!
the!Philippines! National!Capital!Region.!A!total!of!
(UNYAP)! one! hundred! your! leaders! were!
present.!Findings!from!the!Youth!
Solutions!Forum!were!presented!
in!the!event.!!

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Sustainable! Urbizontondo,! Urbiztondo! Urbiztondo! National! HighSchool!
Development! Pangasinan! National! High!
adopted!the!advocacies!of!the!UN!
Goal!Advocacy! School! Faculty!
SDSN! Youth.! Through! learning!
and! Supreme! sessions!in!coordination!with!UN!
Student! SDSN!Youth,!students!of!the!said!
Council! high! school! were! taught! about!
the! SDGs! ! and! were! empowered!
to!do!programs!that!would!affect!
the! Philippine’s! movement!
towards! the! SDGs.! The! main!
event! was! a! full]day! seminar!
patterned!to!the!Youth!Solutions!
Forum!2017.!
Power! on! SDG! Urbizontondo,! Urbiztondo! As! a! direct! outcome! of! the!
Advocacy!2!and!4! Pangasinan! National! Urbiztondo! NHS’s! adoption! of!
HighSchool! SDSN! advocacies,! their! pupils!
have! implemented! key! school]
based!activities!for!two!advocacy!
points.!!
TalkSEX:! Second! Cebu!City! UN! SDSN! In!partnership!with!the!Forum!on!
Family! Planning! Youth! Family! Planning! and!
Conference! Development,!the!Department!of!
Health,! the! Commission! on!
Population! and! the! National!
Youth! Commission,! SDSN! Youth!
celebrated! the! second! family!
planning! youth! conference! with!
the! theme:! TalkSEX:!
strengthening!the!foundation!for!
family! planning]empowered!
communities.!It!brought!together!
over! one! hundred! youth! leaders!
from!all]over!the!Philippines.!The!
participants! of! the! health! break!
out!session!of!YSF!were!active!in!
making!the!event!a!success.!!

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Youth! Initiatives! Iloilo!City! Youth! In! partnership! with! UN! SDSN!
Forum!2017! Proyekto! Youth! Philippines! and!
Pilipinas! #KnowYourGoals! Campaign! of!
UN! SDSN! Youth! Global,! Youth!
Proyekto! Pilipinas! launched! the!
Youth! Initiatives! Forum! 2017!
with! over! one! hundred! young!
leaders!from!all!Western!Visayas.!
An!event!completely!patterned!to!
the! Youth! Solutions! Forum,! it!
echoed!the!aims!and!objectives!of!
SDSN!Youth!in!the!Philippines.!It!
serves! as! an! example! of! how!
youth! organizations! could!
localize!national!programs!of!the!
SDSN!Youth.!!
Environmental! Pasig!City! UP! Society! of! UP!Society!of!Human!Settlement!
Youth!Forum! Human! Planners! from! UP! Los! Baños!
Settlement! implemented! their! event,! The!
Planners! Environmental! Youth! Forum! in!
Pasig! City! with! over! three!
hundred!participants.!!
ITransform! Baguio!City! YouthLead! YouthLead! Philippines,! in!
Convention! Philippines! partnership!with!UN!SDSN!Youth!
in! the! Philippines! and! other!
institutions,! held! the! Sixth! I!
Transform! Young! Leader!
Convention! with! over! eight!
hundred! participants! present.!
The! convention! is! the! biggest!
yearly! SDG]focused! youth!
convention! implemented! by! the!
YouthLEAD!Philippines.!!!
!
Recommendations!
!

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The! following! are! the! recommendations! by! the! participants! and! the! organizing! body! the!
Youth! Solutions! Forum! 2017! and! the! UN! SDSN! Youth! to! improve! and! expand! the! Youth!
Solutions!Forum:!
!
1)! SDSN!Youth!Philippines!and!its!partners!should!extend!the!program!from!a!full]day!
activity!to!a!two!to!three]day!stay]in!activity!so!as!to!lengthen!workshop!and!break]
out! sessions! to! maximize! interaction! with! participants.! In! the! survey! conducted,!
majority!of!the!participants!were!very!satisfied!with!the!workshops!in!the!break]out!
sessions!as!these!promoted!interaction!with!fellow!young!leaders!and!the!creation!of!
solutions!for!pressing!issues!the!youth!sees.!!
2)! SDSN!Youth!Philippines!and!its!partners!should!engage!with!Youth!Solutions!Forum!
participants!after!the!event!and!monitor!the!movement!of!each!organizations!for!the!
Sustainable!Development!Goals.!As!found!in!the!survey,!all!youth!leaders!present!in!
the!activity!were!expecting!a!post]event!activity!for!participants.!Also,!the!post]event!
survey!stated!that!participants!wanted!to!participate!more!in!a!structure!under!the!
SDSN! Youth! which! could! unite! the! youth! leaders! nationally! on! a! specific! SDG!
advocacy.!!
3)! SDSN!Youth!Philippines!and!its!partners!should!expand!its!scholarship!program!to!benefit!
more!than!one!or!two!participants!from!member!and!partner!organizations.!!
4)! SDSN!Youth!Philippines!and!its!partners!should!implement!post!or!pre!activities!or!programs!
for! the! Youth! Solutions! Forum.! Based! on! the! survey,! majority! of! the! participants! coming!
outside! the! Greater! Manila! Area! wanted! to! have! regional! activities! or! regional! Youth!
Solutions! Forum! in! their! regions.! All! of! those! who! answered! that! they! wanted! regional!
programs!also!stated!that!they!are!open!to!partnering!with!SDSN!Youth!in!localizing!it!in!their!
localities.! As! of! December! of! 2017,! a! total! of! three! regional! bodies! have! expressed! their!
support!in!creating!a!regional!Youth!Solutions!Forum!in!their!locality.!!

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Organizing!Team!

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$
UN!SDSN!Youth!Philippines!
!
Philippine!Network!Coordinator! ! ! Xavier$Peredo!
National!Secretary!! ! ! ! ! Julio$Jerison$Macrohon$
National!Treasurer! ! ! ! ! Metodio$Maraguinot!
National!Communications!Head! ! ! Job$Barallas!
!
Program!Head!for!YSF!2017!! ! ! Cyril$Vinz$Bana!
Asst.!Program!Head! ! ! ! ! Rhobe$Parel!
!
YSF!Volunteer!Corps!!
!
Secretariat*
Head! ! ! ! ! ! ! Marianne$Pastorpide!
Members! ! ! ! ! ! Dayana$De$Guzman$
! ! ! ! ! ! ! Dandee$De$Castro$
Programs*
Head! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ian$Anderson$Rabino!
Member! ! ! ! ! ! Pearl$Marsh!
!
Communications*
Head! ! ! ! ! ! ! Nikki$Felix$Canlas!
Members! ! ! ! ! ! Daryll$Badilla!
! ! ! ! ! ! ! Nichole$Formoso$
!
Logistics*
Head! ! ! ! ! ! ! James$Aguja!
Members! ! ! ! ! ! John$Soriano$
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Sample!Pictures!and!Layouts!of!YSF!2017!
!
The!pictures!and!layouts!inserted!below!were!used!by!SDSN!Youth!for!the!communications!
of!the!Youth!Solutions!Forum.!To!view!all!pictures!and!layouts!please!go!to!the!SDSN!Youth!
Philippines!official!Facebook!page!at!fb.com/sdsnyouthph.!
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The!Youth!Solutions!Forum!2017!
Official!Event!Report!
!
This! report! is! owned! by! the! UN! Sustainable! Development! Solutions! Network! –! Youth!
Initiative! and! its! Philippine! office,! the! Sustainable! Development! Solutions! Network! Youth!
Philippines.!It!is!illegal!to!publish!and!distribute!the!whole!report!and!the!contents!of!this!
report!without!an!official!formal!consent!from!the!Philippine!office.!!
!
For!more!information,!contact!the!Sustainable!Development!Solutions!Network!Youth!office!
in!Manila!through!its!e]mail,!philippines@sdsnyouth.org!
!
Finalized!on!09!January!2018!and!distributed!on!10!January!2018!as!approved!by!the!UN!
Sustainable! Development! Solutions! Network! –! Youth! Network! Coordinator! for! the!
Philippines,!Xavier!Peredo.!!