The idea of attending my first United Nations General Assembly finally began to sink in when I gazed at the flags of nations billowing high above in front of the United Nations headquarters on that pleasant, warm morning. The privilege of being invited to attend the UN SDG Summit 2023 in September 16-20 in New York has been one of the highlights of my high school experience to date. Even after returning home, I could still recall the vivid encounters and reflections from various events that week. And I wish to bring some new ideas inspired by the Summit and Action Weekend.

Below are the key events I have attended:

• SDG Summit 2023 Action Weekend – Mobilization and Acceleration at the UN
• Planetizen Workshop, a UNESCO initiative
• UN Science Summit 2023 at the 78 UN General Assembly (UNGA78)
• 11th International Conference of Sustainable Development, Columbia University

11th International Conference of Sustainable Development, Columbia University
The conference’s theme was “The Midpoint of the SDGs: Global and Local Progress and Challenges”. They have recognized that the most important factor in transforming vision into reality is the localization and compatibility of the solutions for a given region. The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo shared the country’s “SDG Acceleration Roadmap,” which has been adopted to bring the social and economic transformations needed to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

In my view, the panel discussion on “University Action for Net Zero” was the most incredible initiative as it educates youth the importance of achieving the SDGs starting with everyday actions on campus. Multiple universities, including Tufts University (USA) and Monash University (Australia), work together to achieve carbon neutrality. Their approach, progress, and challenges really inspired me.

Planetizen University Workshop
During this summit, together with a group of teenagers and adults from around the world, I am honored to have the opportunity to co-curate the “Planetizen University” workshop with the Learning Planet Institute, affiliated with UNESCO. The concept of “Planetizen”, which is a combination of “planet” and “citizen,” encapsulates the notion of being a citizen to the planet, serving yourself, the community, and the planet without the limitations of country and borders.

This workshop aims to promote the idea of Planetizen University, a university that truly educates people on the life skills people want and need. They encourage students to learn in real-life situations, such as doing projects. Interestingly, the proposed Planetizen learning style has a striking resemblance to that of the IB Curriculum and GGC clubs at CDNIS.

Main Takeaways from the Summit and Ideas for CDNIS
With so many events in parallel and ideas being discussed, I feel like I am drinking from the fire hose. If I were to distill all the things that inspired me most, here are the four main takeaways and ideas we can consider at CDNIS:

1. “School Action for Net Zero” for CDNIS
I am inspired by the University Action for Net Zero panel in achieving a carbon neutral by together by all stakeholders on campus. CDNIS has always excelled in sustainability and has made significant steps toward this goal, such as the Green Roof, no public car driving policy, etc. CDNIS can take that achievement further by achieving net zero and setting a collective ambition of “School Action for Net Zero” plan for 2030. Perhaps CDNIS can be the first school in Hong Kong to set such a plan, which could inspire other schools to follow.

2. Validation of the Importance of the CDNIS Global Goals Council (GGC)

I was reassured about the importance of the work our School and the GGC are doing in the SDG movement. The GGC emphasized collaborative actions because the world has been sadly divided due to conflicts among nations. And just like the UN, our GGC hosts an annual HK SDG Summit in March and the Club-A-Like in November to gather like-minded youth change makers. It is important we, as CDNIS GGC ambassadors, lead the education and actions for SDG in Hong Kong.

3. Innovative ways to approach SDG education
It is all about raising awareness to the SDGs! When I first learned about the SDGs, I did it by researching the official website, which could have been more interesting. At one of the events, they offered each participant a special gift — SDG Trump Card. Trump Card is a fun and interactive card game. More importantly, learning SDGs is much more effective when it is a fantastic gamified experience with a group of friends!

4. Potential partners and guest speaker invitations
It is a privilege to have met many great global leaders, inspiring speakers, and new friends during the week in New York. It would be amazing if we can invite some of them to work with us or speak at our events in the future. Finally, the experience certainly left me in awe. The message on the mega poster at the office building outside the UN headquarters summed up well – “The Future is Hopeful”.