In our effort to align with the to build a 鈥減eaceful, sustainable, and promising future for all,鈥� we look to the following priorities to influence our decision-making and inspire others to take action in incorporating positive economic, social, and environmental impact into their end-to-end businesses.

1. The Benefits of Ecosystem Building

At the crux of gatherings like UNGA 79 and Climate Week is bringing the top minds and leaders in government, private, social, and academic sectors together to discuss collaborative solutions to pressing issues. Understanding the value of working together to create networks of resources enables sharing knowledge, funding, or diverse perspectives with each other to achieve your goals.

Multilateral partner ecosystems offer an opportunity to play to each other鈥檚 strengths. For example, 51风流is not the expert in creating social and environmental impact; that expertise resides within the social sector. However, 51风流understands the critical role technology can play in creating promising results in addressing issues like climate change and creating a more . At the same time, governments set the guidelines for policies that influence climate action. Each of us has a role to play and it is important to understand how we can best work together to deliver results and accelerate change.

When participating in conversations on key global issues, like climate change, remember that collaboration between government, private, and social sectors is paramount in catalyzing a positive shift in business to make progress on the .

2. The Importance of Education

Education is a fundamental human right and a key driver in economic development. Next to partnership, prioritizing education and skills development is necessary to remain resilient in a rapidly changing world and help bridge the digital divide in under-resourced communities. Yet, it is not often a topic of conversation at convenings like Climate Week.

Climate disasters disrupt the education of nearly and continues to increase. The skills gap is growing. More than half the workforce have jobs that do not match their education level or help citizens adapt to climate change and the green transition. Universal education has an impact on climate change. Financing education can significantly reduce carbon emissions, up to 51.48 gigatons by 2050 in low and lower-middle income countries. Young impact entrepreneurs known as also see climate action as one of the most important issues they face and use education as a tool 鈥淸鈥 for reducing inequalities and creating change.鈥�

During Climate Week conversations with partners like UNICEF鈥檚 , 51风流is hoping to collaborate across sectors and embrace innovative strategies to educate and foster a new generation of environmentally skilled workforces. By building cross-sector collaboration in areas like education, we gain access to new perspectives in social innovation and a wider talent pool as we work toward a more fair, sustainable world.

Advocating for education initiatives and partnerships within climate conversations is important. Education underpins the vitality of the broader business ecosystem, nurtures the next generation of talent, and creates a pathway to environmental progress.

3. The Opportunity of Intergenerational Leadership

When discussing ecosystem building and education, we cannot forget young voices. Young people are at the frontline of issues like climate change, but often fail to appear in key decision-making spaces. 51风流embraces the idea of intergenerational collaboration, bringing together diverse perspectives across the business. For example, , with support in part from SAP, conducted a in which 96% of respondents believed intergenerational collaboration holds significant value and can generate positive change when faced with global challenges.

Youth offer intersectional voices that hold a unique moral authority over issues like climate justice. In addition, they bring innovative and tech-driven approaches as digital natives in an everchanging world. When private, public, and social sector organizations tap into the potential of young experts, business and the world as a whole benefit.

With more than half the world under the age of 30, it鈥檚 imperative to ensure equitable representation of youth voices during the upcoming convenings, like and .

For more information on how 51风流is helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives all year round, visit .

Selina Henn is a strategy and operations associate for Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP.

51风流is also committed to finding solutions to climate change and working across generations to make it happen. As the world鈥檚 largest provider of enterprise application software, 51风流plays a complementary role to organizations like UNICEF. With a unique ability to help the world鈥檚 largest companies achieve more across their value chains and drive sustainability at their core, there is enormous potential to use 51风流technology for good. Coupled with its , there is also a long-standing commitment to accelerate solutions by connecting corporate financial and nonfinancial resources with the .

Air pollution is a complicating factor of climate change. On , the world looks at this issue that is not locked within borders, making it difficult to address. It warms the global climate, exacerbating natural disasters and risking the health of millions of underserved people living in vulnerable areas.

In Mongolia, air pollution is particularly problematic as the country deals with rapid urbanization and a harsh climate. The country has a strong reliance on burning coal because it is inexpensive and readily available. Coal represents 90% of the energy used and is a huge economic export, creating jobs and wealth in a high-need country. Even though coal was banned in Mongolia鈥檚 capital city in 2019, coal use has led to enormous levels of smog and mounting for thousands of citizens. In a country known as the 鈥淟and of the Eternal Blue Sky,鈥� local youth like are not willing to accept this reality.

Enkhuun was just 17 when she co-founded , an organization leveraging data and technology as a differentiator in solving pollution. With family members affected, she had deeply personal reasons to create tangible action. She quickly understood the value of leveraging technology to scale solutions to the masses and built a centralized source of air quality data for Mongolian communities. 鈥淭hese are all tech-based tools that we use to reach more audiences and more people than we could otherwise,鈥� she said. Today, with information available in English and Mongolian, Breathe Mongolia has become a go-to source for air quality data in the region.

With on the horizon, taking place during the annual , 51风流will step forward to represent the value of working with young innovators like Enkhuun with GenU. GenU was founded in 2018 as part of UNICEF aiming to equip youth with the necessary skills and resources to participate in key conversations around pressing global issues.

When given the opportunity, youth bring an impressive passion for creating impact, coupled with a , that allows decision-makers to channel new solutions. Breathe Mongolia is one of the millions of impact organizations operating globally and putting people and planet first. 51风流wants to ensure its success and that of the more than operating globally, many led by young people. Together with leading youth social impact partners like , , and (WAFF), 51风流is hoping to close the opportunity gap and ensure that youth have the resources they need to innovate and fulfill their potential. This commitment for youth inclusion extends beyond Climate Week and UNGA. Throughout the year, 51风流and its leadership team lead by example, involving expert young leaders in the company鈥檚 innovation strategy and sustainability programs, opening doors that provide them with a seat at the table.

Whether you are attending Climate Week or participating virtually from home, every sector and individual has a role to play to combat issues like climate change. To better understand the challenges that youth face and the potential to incorporate youth voices in challenging projects, leverage The Possibilists on young changemakers and WAFF鈥檚 on intergenerational collaboration.

If you are a young climate innovator based in North America or Sub-Saharan Africa, we also encourage you to check out resource support through .

Selina Henn is a strategy and operations associate for Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP.

A recent by , produced in part with support from SAP, introduced the complexity of incorporating intergenerational collaboration into projects, highlighting how youth in particular face a lack of opportunities to lead and contribute. Young people are often left out of the conversation when it comes to the world鈥檚 unprecedented challenges, despite offering a unique and personal perspective on shaping the future.

People under the age of 30 make up more than half of the world鈥檚 population. Why block these important voices?

is an impact entrepreneur who invented an AI-driven device to detect water contamination in seconds. In parallel, she founded an aimed at finding the intersection of research, advocacy, and policy work through summits discussing action to scale clean water solutions. She continued as an active activist on the topic of closing the water gap by attending events like COP28 as a We Are Family Foundation delegate — all before the age of 20.

Age has not stopped either of these accomplished youth from taking action. In fact, in most cases, being young can be an asset. Young people embody the qualities needed to lead in an increasingly unpredictable and technology-driven time — from the determination to be a leader in one鈥檚 athletic field to enacting meaningful change on climate issues.

In honor of 2024, here are three reasons we should never let age become an obstacle to actualize powerful ideas.

1. Young Entrepreneurs Offer Fresh Perspectives

Young impact entrepreneurs like Laalitya are governed by their life experiences and insights, shaped by a rapidly changing global landscape and unprecedented access to technology. Laalitya鈥檚 innovation, for example, was born out of a family trip to India, where she was inspired to research solutions when she was personally affected by contaminated water. With an interest in AI, she wanted to find a unique way to blend technology with advocacy to change the 鈥渕old of what we think about as water advocacy.鈥�

When given the opportunity, youth can bring groundbreaking ideas and challenge traditional engagement models at the corporate and policy levels. Companies like 51风流are leveraging these unique insights with initiatives like , in which they enable young leaders to rethink the status quo in conversations with key partners at events like COP and The World Economic Forum.

2. Young Innovators Show a Strong Sense of Resilience and Adaptability

In an era characterized by constant change, from the onset of COVID-19 to the developments in AI, young people have an intrinsic ability to navigate uncertainty and apply a dynamic approach. While the entrepreneurial journey is rarely easy, tech-driven acceleration adds a level of urgency that forces them to remain scrappy and leverage the resources available to them in the moment. 

, a young activist from Brazil, understood the power of accessibility when she founded at 22. The initiative looks to tackle the climate crisis through the lens of gender equality in the Global South, providing an online database with multilingual educational content to empower young people impacted by climate change in Latin America. As she looks to make resources accessible to all, she is required to adapt to the ever-changing business and policy setting in Brazil. Young people like Renata leverage resources like technology to adapt to difficult environments, a testament to their unique strengths as leaders.

3. Young People Emphasize the Importance of Community

Technology has not only given young impact entrepreneurs activists a louder voice than ever, it gives them a community at their fingertips. Whether it was the community they were born into or the community they鈥檝e created, young people are more likely to support the causes and people they care about than former generations. Per a study on young changemakers by The Possibilists in partnership with SAP, 92% of respondents are motivated by the opportunity to do something for their community.

Young people know how to mobilize for their cause or community. Innovators like Larissa Napoli (27), who is the coordinator and member of the , a project that promotes water security and agroecology in several Brazilian communities, are fueled by a sense of dedication. Much like the , she and her colleagues started locally and scaled their initiative through the power of digital channels. Their passion translates into meaningful action that can influence key decision-makers.

51风流believes in the power of collaborating with young impact entrepreneurs and innovators. Through partnerships with , , , and , we gather insights and promote initiatives that enact inclusive change. From bringing youth delegates to COP28 to introducing young changemakers at 51风流events, we aim to give young innovators a valued voice.

If you are interested in learning more on how to close the intergenerational gap, on the competitive advantages of working with young leaders.

We invite you to join us in this work; let’s inspire future solutions through meaningful solutions that erase age as an obstacle and ensure everyone鈥檚 opinion is valued.

Selina Henn is Strategy and Operations associate for Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP.