Webinar: LNOB Youth Engagement on SDGs

Kimbowa Richard
Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development
P.O. Box 27551 Kampala (Uganda)
Email: rkimbowa@ugandacoalition.or.ug
Website: www.ugandacoalition.or.ug
What activities do you do to engage youth on SDGs?

UCSD is Ugandan NGO network and is part of:

• International Network for Sustainable Energy

(Uganda membership incl. youth organisations
like the Green Ambassadors’ Club, Youth Leading
Environmental Change, JEEP etc)
• Global Forum on National SDG Advisory Bodies
• 2030 Agenda CSO Core Ref. Group on SDGs
• East Africa Sustainability Watch Network
• Renewable Energy CSO Network
• Env. And Natural Resources CSO Network
• East African CSOs Forum
What are the results achieved?

UCSD focus on Planetary SDGs (*as entry point): SDGs 1,5,6,12,13,15,17)

Training, Capacity building and Awareness creation

• New Env & CC Laws

• Hands-on training on social media use
• Intro to Paris Agreement provisions
• Global climate change negotiations
• Webinars – clean cooking, E mobility, etc

Networking (National thematic days (World Env. Day, Wetlands , Women, Energy
week, Water and Environment Week , etc
• Clean Up activities – engaging youths and local leaders (Conservation of Ramsar wetlands of
International Importance around Lake Victoria (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania) with partners

• Others engaging youths: #StopKaveeraNow (campaign to ban single use plastics

in Uganda) #solns4Earth (to promote the Catalogue on Local Sustainable and
Climate solutions in East Africa)
Advocacy, Information sharing

Monthly East African SusWatch INFORSE East Africa E Bulletin that is shared
with youths and other actors across East Africa

Joint individual and collective policy briefs, media statements (VNR rejoinders,
UNFCCC COPs, GGGI Week, National Energy Week, Thematic days, etc)

Action research + Stories of interest to youths and other actors e.g. in the
forthcoming CS-SDG Newsletter by the 2030 Agenda CSO Core Ref. Group on SDGs)
What are the challenges you faced?

• Low awareness and appreciation of SDGs and linkage to day-to- day

activities by NGOs incl. youths-based organisations

• Lack of skills and knowledge – as SDG policy is a an evolving area that needs
to be followed closely

• Lack of coordination amongst stakeholders in SDGs (results in failure on

LNOB, conflicts among development sectors & actors, etc)

• Dwindling financial support for planned work

• Limited opportunities and options for youths to reduce poverty – focus on

medium term instead of 2030 targets!
Future Plans

• Following up Planetary SDGs through the 2030 Agenda CSO Core Ref.
Group on SDGs

• Scale up Campaigns, public information and Campaigns in support of

actions based on SDG Reports(VLRs, National VNRs, Regional and Global)

• Sustaining youth engagement – clean up action, climate actions at local level,

training and skills development on global negotiations, sustainable energy, etc.

• Information, Knowledge sharing, Networking and advocacy work: Global

Forum on National SDG Advisory Bodies, CSO Core Reference Group,
National SDGs secretariat, Youth organisations with interest in policy and
practical - related work on Planetary SDGs, etc.