By Anshul Nadendla 9/28/25

      Recently, I was invited by the United Nations Youth Office to serve as a Youth Delegate at the United Nations 80th General Assembly. As a part of this week-long event, I also represented youth voices throughout the NYC Climate Week, engaging in conferences hosted by Yale University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Princeton University, and Deloitte. 

      I am incredibly grateful to the UN Youth Office for this truly transformative experience and for the opportunity to represent young people on the global stage amidst a time where our voices continue to be neglected. With numerous academics, businessmen, and fellow youth leaders selected from across the globe, I was able to share the message and work of Youth Global. I’m so excited for the fresh perspectives that Youth Global’s forum will now feature as a result.

      Thanks to experts and scholars like Michel Gelobter from the Yale Center for Environmental Justice. I now know how leaders across all disciplines can use AI to pave the path towards sustainable systems and an equitable green economy. After discussing with Rania Ahmed from the International Organization for Migration, I also learned how grave the climate migration crisis will be, if we do not come together as a global community to build cross-cultural structures.

      Throughout the week, discussions and action revolved around a variety of issues, including poverty, immigration, and climate change. However, one idea lay at the core of each issue: the lack of global cooperation. Their Excellencies Former Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos and Former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, whom I had the honor of meeting, explained that in order to have any hope of advancing towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we need to respark a commitment to international multilateralism. How do we get that? We need collaborative, horizontal leaders to lead the way. 

      I was grateful to see calls for empathy, a core value that drives my own leadership, be echoed by the brightest minds in business, academia, and policymaking.

     Despite the grim nature of current international cooperation, last week gave me hope for the SDGs, and for a better world. If we put in the hard work, we can craft a world where innovation, peace, and human connection triumphs. With the lessons I took from this week, I am ready to contribute to that mission every day.