If we can't figure out how to engage and empower youth around the world, there is little chance of achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, writes Rohit Ramchandani, health studies alumnus and adjunct professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems.
Ramchandani co-wrote a commentary published in The Lancet that showcases the potential of young people to lead the discussion on issues of global health. The article provides examples of young people, like 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, who have created a global following to enact real change and hold leadership accountable. It concludes with a call to leaders for the creation of innovative partnerships with young people in hopes of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Many of the authors of the article are youth leaders in global health.
The commentary came out of a WHO Report that Ramchandani co-authored and launched last year at the UN General Assembly, and includes ideas on how to move forward with youth engagement.
He wrote on Instagram: “The global community - governments, corporations, multilateral institutions, NGOs, etc. - must facilitate and co-create space, voice, audience, and influence.”
Ramchandani is also the founder and CEO of Antara Global Health Advisors. His current interests lie in the areas of global health innovation, access and delivery, health systems, health markets and multi-sectoral partnerships, and child health.
See a video about Ramchandani and some of the public health work he has done.