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30 Youth Nations Unite in Bangkok to Present the Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration UN SDG Forum Initiator Jay Wei: When the World Needs Rebuilding, Education Must Be Redefined

Alicia Tan by Alicia Tan
May 12, 2025
Dr. Pattarada Rungruang, Vice President of Southeast Bangkok College (left), Jay Wei, Chairman of the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation (center), and Kimanzi Margaret Wanjiru, Youth Representative from Kenya (right). (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

Dr. Pattarada Rungruang, Vice President of Southeast Bangkok College (left), Jay Wei, Chairman of the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation (center), and Kimanzi Margaret Wanjiru, Youth Representative from Kenya (right). (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

In May 2025, within the halls of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in springtime Bangkok, youth representatives from over 30 countries across five continents gathered to jointly declare the 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration and present the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book.

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30 Youth Nations Unite in Bangkok to Co-Create a Sustainability Declaration! UN OICT Consultant Jack Huang: Youth Must Be More Than Advocates—They Must Become Curators of Action

The week-long 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum was not just a summit of idealism—it was a demonstration of concrete action. At the heart of this movement was Jay Wei, Chairman of the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation, the principal organiser of the event. Key partners also included the STUF United Fund, Asia Pacific Center.

Jay Wei has long been devoted to international education and the development of youth leadership. He firmly believes, “The competitiveness of the future lies not in competition, but in collaboration. The foundation of co-creation is trust—and the seed of trust is planted when someone chooses altruism first.” In an interview with《The Icons》Bangkok team, his words were calm yet resolute, revealing not only the patience of an educator, but also the unwavering determination of a changemaker.

A key supporter in bringing the forum to life was the STUF United Fund, Asia Pacific Center, which sponsored youth representatives from countries including Haiti, Saint Vincent, and Paraguay. Chairperson Peter Lin remarked in his opening speech that uniting youth leaders from different regions is essential for driving the world more effectively toward sustainability. “Sustainability should never be just a slogan. Enterprises with social responsibility must actively support young leaders in participating in international forums and related initiatives.”

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Chairperson Peter Lin of the STUF United Fund, Asia Pacific Center, stated in his opening remarks at the forum that sustainability should never be just a slogan. He emphasised that companies must actively support youth participation in international affairs in order to truly foster cross-border, cross-generational co-creation and collaboration. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

Using Education to Cross Borders and Empower Youth as True Agents of Change

As the initiator of this United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) forum series, Jay Wei is more than an event organiser—he is a weaver of meaning and purpose. Since 2023, he has led delegations of youth, academic, and industry representatives to international platforms such as COP28 in Dubai, where he helped amplify the voices of young people within global climate conversations. In 2024, he brought this mission to Okinawa, Japan, convening youth from multiple nations to co-author the 2024 Okinawa Youth Sustainability Declaration, which was later presented at COP29.

The 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum in Bangkok marked a pivotal milestone in this ongoing journey. Not only did Jay Wei gather youth leaders from 30 countries for deep intercultural exchange, but he also led them in formally presenting the 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration and the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book at the UN Asia-Pacific headquarters.

“We made sure young people were not just participants, but designers; not just listeners, but voices. This kind of engagement is a truly powerful way to change the future,” he said.

Youth representatives from multiple countries gathered to express their vision and commitment to sustainable development through creative collaboration, culminating in the joint release of the 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration and the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book—demonstrating the power of youth engagement in global issues. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

Jay Wei: Global Advocacy Must Be Rooted in Altruism

“As long as we are dealing with global sustainability, it must be co-created. And co-creation is never just a slogan—it requires space, structure, and above all, the courage to trust first,” Jay Wei told《The Icons》Bangkok team. For him, engaging in international advocacy means being the first to give, to share selflessly, so that participants from different cultures and systems can begin to collaborate in an open and secure environment.

It is precisely this philosophy that enabled the forum to bring together youth from five continents, allowing them to transcend language and national boundaries and co-create meaningful policy recommendations and action plans in a short amount of time. Jay Wei firmly believes that when trust becomes the foundation, a strong and lasting international youth network can be built—this belief remains his greatest motivation for continuing the work.

Jay Wei shares his experience in international advocacy at the United Nations Asia-Pacific headquarters, emphasizing that true co-creation must be built on trust. Through selfless action, he facilitated cross-cultural collaboration among youth from five continents, leading to the joint development of sustainability policy proposals and action plans. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

Don’t Get Too Used to Telling Youth What They Should Do

Michal Andrzej Glasek, a strategy and development advisor from Poland who also took part in the forum, shared his thoughts in an interview with《The Icons》: “We’ve become too accustomed to telling young people what they should do, and often overlook the fact that they already possess tremendous creativity and problem-solving potential.”

Glasek explained that he wasn’t originally from an education background, but his experience at the 2024 youth forum in Okinawa deeply inspired him. “A profound conversation with Japanese students changed my perspective. It made me reflect on how business leaders can respond to the call of our times—not only by creating value, but by becoming enablers who amplify the impact of others,” he said.

Michal Andrzej Glasek, a strategy and development advisor from Poland, shared his experience at the forum and called on the international community to place greater trust in youth. He emphasised the need to create space for their creativity and initiative to be truly seen and realised. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

The defining keyword of the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book: Trust

Kimanzi Margaret Wanjiru, one of the lead editors of the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book and a youth representative from Kenya, shared candidly in an interview with《The Icons》 that when the team was first tasked with writing the “Sustainability Book,” they were overwhelmed and unsure.

“None of us had ever written a book. We didn’t even know what a real ‘solution’ looked like,” she said. But it was precisely this uncertainty that made the process so genuine and moving.

“Every time we gathered to discuss, teammates from different countries brought in different perspectives. We inspired each other, challenged each other, and even redefined what counts as a problem—and what counts as action. In the end, we learned that real impact doesn’t come from massive resources, but from honest connection and the belief that we can create change.”

“If you ask me what the most important word is,” Kimanzi said,

“It’s trust.”

Kimanzi Margaret Wanjiru, a youth representative from Kenya, shared the editorial journey of the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book at the UN SDGs Forum, highlighting that “trust” is the driving force behind youth-led co-creation and meaningful change. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

The ASEAN Sustainability Impact Accelerator: Guiding More Global Youth Leaders into the International Innovation Ecosystem

This year’s forum also planted the seeds for the next stage of development—Southeast Bangkok University will partner with the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation to establish the SDGs Impact Accelerator, a platform designed to support innovation and incubation for young leaders across ASEAN and neighbouring countries.

In an interview with《The Icons》Bangkok team, Dr. Pattarada Rungruang, Vice President of Southeast Bangkok University, shared: “From early childhood education to doctoral programs, we offer a comprehensive system, along with the capacity to connect youth communities across Southeast Asia—including Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Through our research centres and innovation-focused curriculum, we will work alongside the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation to support new-generation leaders who have ideas but lack opportunities. Our goal is to bring more young people into the global innovation ecosystem and turn regional-to-global collaboration into real momentum.”

Southeast Bangkok University and the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation announced the joint launch of the SDGs Impact Accelerator during the forum. Led by Vice President Dr. Pattarada Rungruang, the initiative aims to build an international incubation platform that empowers ASEAN youth to turn innovation into action. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

A Continuous Journey: From the Arab World, Japan, Thailand, and New York to Brazil

Jay Wei firmly believes that the ultimate mission of education is to cultivate citizens who can co-create, not individuals who simply compete. “Gen Z is not a future possibility—they are the answer for now. They must be able to challenge the status quo, but more importantly, to take action,” he says.

Since leading a group of international youth leaders to participate in COP28 in Dubai, Jay Wei has envisioned a new model for international education—one that blends forums, real-world missions, and cross-cultural dialogue. In this model, students are no longer passive recipients of knowledge in classrooms; they are active participants on the ground, engaging with global issues, joining policy discussions, and even offering their own solutions. From Dubai to Okinawa to Bangkok, he has steadily transformed this vision into a global movement. The next stop: Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Jack Huang, Advisor to the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology and Youth Impact Chair of the forum, noted, “The successful execution of this forum in Bangkok proves how youth can generate tangible impact through creativity and collaboration. I believe this will inspire more young leaders who care about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to build connections with international organisations, as well as public and private sectors, and amplify their voices.”

Harry Hsu, CEO of《The Icons》, who was invited as a keynote speaker, added, “The value of this forum lies not only in giving young leaders a chance to be heard, but in showing them that their voices truly matter to the world. When a young leader realises that their words can influence decisions and shift the flow of resources, that awareness transforms into responsibility, maturity, and action. True international engagement isn’t just about entering the conference room—it’s about being remembered for what you said.”

Youth representatives from five continents gathered in Bangkok for the 2025 UN SDGs Youth Forum, continuing an ongoing journey of global sustainability dialogue—from Dubai, Okinawa, and Bangkok to the upcoming stops in Nairobi and Brazil. Uniting the action-driven spirit of Gen Z, this movement weaves together a continuous international conversation for a more sustainable future. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

When the World Needs Rebuilding, Education Must Be Redefined

“In July 2025, our team will return to Nairobi, Kenya to host the next UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Bootcamp and a 30-nation youth forum,” Jay Wei announced. “We’re inviting over 50 youth representatives from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and we plan to present the 2025 Nairobi Youth Sustainability Declaration and the 2025 Nairobi Sustainability Book at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme. This effort aims to expand the global impact of our co-creation movement.”

“When the world needs rebuilding, education must be redefined.”

Jay Wei is not one for slogans—he believes in steady, grounded work. For him, education is not a campaign; it’s a long-term commitment to action. Rather than waiting for the world to change, he walks ahead into uncertainty, quietly gathering like-minded allies to light the way.

“We can’t afford to wait for change—we must actively create it. I believe that empowering youth to become bridges between worlds is deeply meaningful. It sparks new possibilities and makes global transformation truly achievable.”

At the forum, Jay Wei announced the next youth sustainability initiative to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, emphasising that education must be redefined in response to a changing world. He reaffirmed his commitment to advancing global sustainability through continued youth-led co-creation. (Photography: 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum)

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Tags: 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability DeclarationAsia Pacific CenterBangkok Sustainability BookChinese Youth Growth FoundationesgHarry HsuJack HuangJay WeiKimanzi Margaret WanjiruMichal Andrzej GlasekPeter LinSDGsSDGs Impact AcceleratorSoutheast Bangkok UniversitySTUF United Fund
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Alicia Tan

Alicia Tan

Alicia Tan, born in Singapore and currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. Recently completed a degree in Environmental Studies at Chulalongkorn University. Passionate about sustainability and cultural exchange, with a focus on community-based initiatives and youth empowerment. During university, I co-organized eco-friendly campus events and volunteered with local NGOs supporting urban farming. In my free time, I enjoy discovering traditional markets, writing reflections on nature, and learning new languages. Looking forward to exploring more cross-border collaborations in Southeast Asia for a greener future.

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