An advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a Sustainability Leader of the United People Global (UPG) Class of 2025, Ms. Mary Pius, emphasised on Friday that educating young people about the SDGs is “non-negotiable” in today’s world.

She also announced the launch of an initiative aimed at equipping secondary school students with knowledge of leadership and sustainability, anchored in the global SDGs framework.

Pius disclosed this in Abuja, during an educational engagement with the students of Jewel Model School, Kubwa.

She emphasised that SDG education is “non-negotiable” in today’s world, especially given the social structures that often marginalise youth voices.

She said: “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) leadership education is non-negotiable; can’t you see what society is doing to young people? Society makes the rules that disenfranchise young people from participating in decision-making processes.

“When young people are allowed to participate in decision-making processes, it sustains the future of the next generation, but when young people are neglected, then the future generations will be in trouble.”

She noted that United People Global is empowering youth in over 100 countries through leadership education, aiming to build a global network of informed and proactive young change-makers.

One of the key focus areas of the training was environmental sustainability. Pius urged students to take personal responsibility for the planet, including climate-conscious actions such as recycling plastic bottles, promoting sustainable waste management, and adopting healthy lifestyles.

She lamented that while Nigeria has youth-focused policies on paper, they are rarely implemented or inclusive of youth voices.

She called for stronger youth participation in policy advocacy and national development, adding that, “The target audience for this initiative is teenagers aged 15 to 18, many of whom are already considered adults.

“In Nigeria, 18 is the legal age of adulthood, and according to the African Charter, some countries like Syria recognise adulthood as early as 15.

“When you consider the UN framework, there are several opportunities and programs that become inaccessible once individuals reach 25 or 26. This is why it is crucial to begin training young people, even from the age of 13, to understand and engage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) early.”

In her remark, the school’s SDG Club Supervisor, Ms. Blessing Ndem, welcomed the training as a much-needed intervention and praised the initiative for exposing students to global issues and inspiring them to become more socially responsible.

Ndem said, “This training is a welcome development. It aligns with our mission to raise responsible leaders, and we’re happy our students are being guided to understand and apply the principles of sustainable development.”