Woman to educate peers on development goals

A YOUNG woman is trying to educate and encourage fellow Papua New Guineans to realise sustainable development goals (SDGs), the global development milestone to transform the world.
Bronwyn Kili, 19 and who represented the country at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum early this year at the United Nations, gained insight into SDGs and committed to generate a movement among youth.
Having worked as a peer educator at a Youth Adolescent Health Club (YAH) and Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) for a few years, Kili’s experience in educating and engaging youth belies her age. Along with Jeanette Ila, a peer educator at YWCA, she recently organised a workshop to sensitise young peers to understand more about SDGs.
Participants from UPNG, YAH, Yoga Unite PNG and Agape Youth Ministry discussed how SDGs are linked to their lives and how best they can help promote it.
The UN in PNG provided a session on the shift from the millennium development goals (MDGs) to SDGs, how SDGs are interlinked to the national development frameworks, and some of the key development issues pressing the country.
They were encouraged to recognise their influential power, networking and communication capacity and innovative ideas, and to think about how they and young peers can promote SDGs in their respective schools and communities.
“As a peer educator and youth leader, I believe to develop a nation requires more actors than just the government. We need our young people playing such a role. Let us not wait. It is our future, it is our country. SDGs is a guiding tool to develop and transform our country better,” Kili said.
“UN in PNG also recognises importance of engaging youth in the development process of the country. In a country where almost 30 per cent of the population is between the ages 10 and 24, it is vital to engage young people as critical actors for the betterment of the nation.
“UN will continue to support their efforts to be active citizens.”