The Statement of North East Asian Youth2021
15th, October 2021, Online

We, the participants from youth organizations in Russia, China, Japan, Mongolia, andthe Republic of Korea, welcome the Youth Session of the 5th North-East AsianMulti-stakeholder Forum on Sustainable Development Goals. We highly appreciate theUN ESCAP East and North-East Asia (ENEA) Office for supporting this session.

People on the globe are facing different hardships today, and the pandemic is
exacerbating the situation. In particular, those in vulnerable positions, such as womenand the disabled, are more susceptible to the threats than the majority. The youth is not
an exception. The youth, or those who are under 30, has yet to be recognized as anindependent constituency in many places. That’s why this Youth Session has been held
to collect the voices of the youth in North-East Asia. The youth organizations from 5
countries discussed the progress and challenges regarding the six sustainable
development goals and presented the most successful and efficient youth solutions toaccelerate its implementation further.

By this time, despite the efforts made by varying levels of civil society, challenges ingender and educational inequalities are widening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Climate disruption and degradation are worsening, with future generations facing themost significant risk of unprecedented calamities. We cannot achieve the sustainable
development goals thematically without addressing the agendas in governance,education, gender equality, climate change mitigations, and biodiversity preservation.
During the pandemic, we see that sharing experiences and lessons learned to advancethe full implementation of the 2030 Agenda becomes of greater importance for theglobal community, especially youth. Given the discussions in the Youth Session, wecall for all stakeholders to collaborate to address the prominent challenges in thefollowing four main sectors.

Promoting quality education and empowerment ofwomenCurrent Status1.

In regards to education in general, namely SDG 4, prominent achievements
have been recognized so far. For instance, in Russia, 88% of citizens gethigher education.66.5% of kids have access to preschool education. Inaddition, the ratio of educated female citizens reached 60%. In Mongolia,SDGs indicators show that SDG 4 is achieved by 72.73%. The figure is thesecond-highest in Mongolia.

2.

Youth significantly contribute to the implementation of SDG 4. For
example, in Russia, there are educational projects aimed at increasing thequality and versatility of school education, advanced training of youngteachers, socialization projects for vulnerable youth groups, educational
projects for young people on topics such as gender equality and tolerance toappearance. These youth solutions contribute to the rapid progress of SDG 4
at the national level.

3.

In regards to gender equality in education, there is still room forimprovement. For instance, in Japan, women are still underrepresented inscience education. The Cabinet Office admits, in its fifth gender equality
plan, that although the ratio of women in Japan who engage in research andtechnical positions is currently on the rise, the figure remains 16.6%, which
is lower compared with that of foreign countries. In addition, as foruniversity and graduate students, who are in the preliminary stage ofbecoming researchers, the ratio of females in science and engineering
departments is lower compared with the figure in other departments. To
ensure the fair representation of females in the field of science, furthermeasures should be taken.

4.

In regards to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, there is room forfurther improvements, too. In general, Emergency contraceptive pills areavailable at pharmacies in more than 90 countries at an affordable price.
However, this is not the case in some NEA countries. For instance, in Japan,
emergency contraceptive pills are not available without paying around 100$and getting prescriptions from doctors. Furthermore, other contraceptive
devices, specially made for women, are not available with the current
regulations. In addition, the lack of comprehensive sexual education makes
it difficult for youth to reach out to reliable sources on sexualities.

5.

In regards to gender as a whole, there are still gender gaps in North-East
Asia countries. For instance, Mongolia ranked 71st by its Gender Inequality
Index (GII=0.322)5 out of 188 countries in the world. Gender inequality isprominent along with indicators such as the average life expectancy rate (75for females and 65 for males), labor force participation (50.9% for females

and 61% for males), the employment rate of young people between 15-34 is45,9% (56% for males and 35% for females), and representation in politics
at decision-making levels (women hold 17.1% of the seats in the nationalparliament). Japan also ranked 147th by its Gender Gap Index out of 156
countries. Its gender gap is prominent in various forms including politics,
promotion in corporations, and so on.
6.

In particular regarding equity in job hunting, a significant number of youth
have experienced sexual harassment through the process. In Japan,
according to the youth statement to Cabinet Office with the publiccomments on the fifth gender equality plan, sexual harassment in job
hunting is a serious problem that plagues job hunters, ranging fromdiscriminatory remarks in interviews to rape. According to a February 2019study by Business Insider, one out of every two job hunters suffers fromsexual harassment. Sexual harassment in job-hunting occurs in places wherecompanies cannot recognize, such as mobile applications for alumni
community and matching, which are increasingly used these days. In the job
hunting process, students are judged on their own words and actions, somany students feel that they have no choice but to endure without speaking
up even if they are uncomfortable.

7.

Covid-19 pandemic put the vulnerable stakeholders into an even moredifficult situation as the CSO statement suggests.

8.

In regards to ESD, Education for Sustainable Development, progress isrecognized at the national level. For instance, in Japan, UNESCO Schools,
which are schools that practice peace and international cooperation, arepositioned as centers for promoting ESD and supporting ESD practices. In
addition, the new Courses of Study, which have been implemented since
FY2020, include the concept of becoming "creators of a sustainable
society", in their preamble and general provisions. (Japan VNR report2021.)

9.

In this context, youth organizations promote SDG-related education. For
example, in Japan, various youth organizations raise awareness of criticalproblems such as the loss of biodiversity, whose importance is notrecognized to enough extent in the present situation. (This will be furtherexplained in the environmental section. )Solutions and Recommendations
Given these challenging situations, we call on all stakeholders including national andlocal government for actions as follows;

a. to promote gender equality in every discipline including the field ofscience, politics, corporations.
b. to scrutinize and take measures against unfounded harassment,
especially in the process of job hunting.
c. to reassess the existing regulations and educational curriculums inregards to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
d. to recognize and promote Education for Sustainable Development toraise awareness of the critical problems and to give them the sense ofparticipants.

Dealing with climate change and Preserving
Biodiversity

Current status
1. In regards to climate change, several countries in North-East Asia recognize
climate change and show their willingness to mitigate its progress. At thestage of rapid industrialization and urbanization, China’s objective toachieve carbon neutrality by 2060 was broadly welcomed. Japan declared
the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Civil society’s awareness is alsoincreasing. In Korea, 68.8% of the young generation have a positive opinion
on eco-friendly campaigns of enterprises, according to consumer trend
report research.
2. However, backcasting approaches to achieve them have room forimprovement. In Japan, in the sixth energy basic plan, the goal in terms of
the energy mix by 2030 and the goal of the proportion of sustainable energy
is set at 36 to 38%, which is just close to the current rate of several
European countries. The concrete means for achieving this energy mix
should be specified and much more ambitious goals by 2050 to achievecarbon neutrality are necessary.
3. In regards to biodiversity, protecting the ecosystem isa prerequisite for other SDGs that should be consideredmore seriously. Although biodiversity and ecosystem
are the foundation for human activities, theirimportance has yet to be recognized enough by thegeneral public. In Japan, a national review on
biodiversity reveals that the term “Biodiversity” isrecognized by about half of citizens (51.8％), which
implies that understanding toward biodiversity among
the public is insufficient. In Korea, the government isenlarging its biodiversity conservation infrastructure,but it is still necessary to promote a more
eco-friendly lifestyle by improving management andconservation systems, securing biological resources,and enhancing people’s awareness. This requires
participation at a broader level.

Solutions and Recommendations
Given these challenging situations, we call on all stakeholders including national andlocal government for actions as follows;a. to establish a more stringent and holistic monitoring system to protect
sea life and the overall ecosystem’s biodiversity;b. to carry out a vulnerability assessment and regional strategies in needto address climate change;c.

to civil society; to require collective work to reduce greenhouse gas
emission based on the Paris Agreement of UNFCCC as well as toraise awareness in the coexistence of people and nature.

Youth Partnerships for the Goals
Current statusa. Insufficient support from the government - Russiai.
Often, attempts to make progress in the SDGs at thecountry level led to half-hearted results because the state
does not always fulfill its role as a mobilizer of all parties(NGOs, businesses, etc.). Also, there is no overall federal
plan for achieving the national SDGs. Due to the lack of asystematic approach to the SDGs, there is not enough state
support and financing for NGOs, and youth organizations.

ii.
For example, the number of organizations included inSDSN Russia and SDSN Youth Russia is not sufficientlycompared, with the number of members in the same
network in other countries where NGOs and organizations
are directly related to the promotion of SDGs are supportedby the government.
2. Active participation in policy advocacy - Mongolia
1. Universal Progress MILC has been involved in advocating the Action

Plan 2021-2030 for Mongolia’s Long-Term Development Policy“VISION 2050”. This addresses the need to transfer the educational
system to online platforms. It has also suggested the Ministry ofEducation and Science consider the needs of students with disabilities.
2. The “Watch on Campaign Promises” project highlighted Women'sEmployment issues. In addition, YPWn (Youth Platform for Women) has
been involved in advocating for women's working rights and hassuggested the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, fulfill theGovernment Promise of creating 150,000 jobs.
3. Youths dismissed as non-constituency - Japan
1. In national voluntary review (VNR) meetings in Japan, the youths still
do not have a dedicated seat to represent their opinions, despite theirpresence is crucial to leading the aging society.

Solutions and Recommendations
To counter these issues, youths across the countries have been involved in advocating
and addressing their voices to the governmental organizations, and this is exemplified
by youth organizations specializing in climate action, in Korea and Japan.

Understanding these current circumstances, we demand all stakeholders:a.

to establish a comprehensive policy coordination system for SDGs
implementation with a multi-stakeholder engagement mechanism at thelocal and national level, practically including the young generation asstakeholders;b.

to enhance the access and opportunities for the public to participate in civilsociety mechanisms regarding the understanding and implementation ofSDGs;

c.

to expand and institutionalize the space for youth organizations and young
leaders to engage in the active decision-making process, with an integrated
follow-up system.

In this regard, we reaffirm the importance of reflecting the youth perspective and theirfield experiences in the thematic areas of SDGs implementation. Along with theforum, a Youth Statement on the situation of sustainable development in Asia and thePacific will be subsequently presented. We look for a future where the young
generation can strengthen their active participation in the global community andpositively inspire others to make our world a better place. Thank you for yourattention.