Dear participants,

It was a pleasure to welcome you during the Shaping Our Future Conference on June 12, in Utrecht. It was a great day where attendants from all over the world came together, to discuss how to improve the collaboration between youth and (local) governments and thus create a world that provides a livelihood for current and future generations. The most prominent recommendations gathered during the Conference, have been summarized into the ‘Shaping Our Future’ Declaration. We are happy to share it with you today!

Please find the final version of the Declaration here.

Mayor Dijksma has personally handed over these outcomes to the UN Secretary General António Guterres during the UN Summit of the Future, last week in New York City. This aligns with her role in the Secretary General’s Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments, which aims to contribute to the UN Pact of the Future from the local perspective. For a recap of the mayor’s visit to NYC, watch this video (subtitles in Dutch and English).

So, what’s next? In the Pact for the Future, a reference is made to the important role that local and regional governments play in addressing and implementing the SDG’s. The importance to include youth and future generations is as well recognized (see here the Declaration on Future Generations). Our work doesn’t stop here. We will continue what started in Utrecht. For example, Mayor Dijksma will participate in the World Urban Forum, upcoming November in Egypt, where she will highlight the outcomes of our conference and will discuss next steps.

Let’s share our message of inclusion of youth and a hopeful future by liking and sharing the LinkedIn post! Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn as well to stay updated!

A big thanks to all the incredible speakers, and everyone who joined us in Utrecht. Your contributions will be the foundation for the way forward! Also, this conference and declaration are also made possible by our wonderful partners NJR, UCLG, UN-Habitat and ICLEI, PLATFORMA.

Warm regards,

VNG International & City of Utrecht