Championing Gender Equality and Youth Leadership at YouLead23: Our Commitment to the SDGs and Beyond

23.04.25 10:44 AM - By Women Solidarity Initiative Uganda

At Women Solidarity Initiative Uganda, we believe in the transformative power of young people; particularly young women to drive meaningful change across the African continent. This belief was at the heart of our participation in the YouLead Africa Summit 2023 held in Nairobi, Kenya. Represented by our founder, Esther Mercy Atim we proudly took part in high-level deliberations and strategy sessions that shaped not only regional priorities but also national post-summit action plans.

Reaffirming Our Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the foundation upon which our work is built. These global goals not only inform our advocacy and interventions but serve as the guiding pillar for our programs in leadership development, economic empowerment, education, resilience, and human rights. At the YouLead23 Summit, we reaffirmed our commitment and allegiance to advancing the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by endorsing the SDG Commitment Board. This act symbolizes more than a gesture; it’s a public declaration of our dedication to fostering inclusive and equitable development led by and for young people.

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Advocating for Gender Equality Across Sectors

As a young women-led organization, we approached the summit with a bold, intentional strategy: to mainstream Gender Equality not as a standalone “women’s issue” but as an integral theme across all other priority areas; Politics, Business, and Climate Action. Representing Women Solidarity Initiative Uganda, Esther Mercy Atim co-led the development of Uganda’s post-summit agenda for the Gender Equality thematic area, ensuring that women's human rights are fully recognized and prioritized as human rights in all policy and programming discussions.
Our goal is to challenge the soiled view of gender issues and instead embed gender perspectives into every facet of decision-making and development. In doing so, we champion a more inclusive and intersectional approach to policy formulation and implementation.

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Post-Summit Agenda: From Commitment to Action

Our participation didn’t end at the summit. We were honored to be invited by the Julius Nyerere Leadership Center (JNLC) and the National Youth Council of Uganda (NYC) to participate in the YouLead 2023 Post-Summit Debrief. This session brought together a diverse group of vibrant, youth-led organizations and individuals who are passionate about shaping Uganda’s contribution to the East African development agenda. At the post-summit debrief, Women Solidarity Initiative Uganda led the deliberations in the Gender Equality Working Group, helping shape a clear, actionable agenda that outlines strategic interventions, collaborative efforts, and national priorities moving forward.
We are especially proud to be part of the implementation team tasked with turning Uganda’s post-summit agenda into tangible action. This opportunity reflects the growing recognition of youth voices in national development processes and affirms our belief that young people must not only be present in these conversations but lead them.

We are energized by the momentum built during and after the YouLead23 Summit. The relationships we’ve formed, the strategies we’ve co-created, and the commitments we’ve made are a strong foundation for the work ahead. Together with our peers across the East African region, we are committed to:
•Promoting gender justice and equity in policy and practice
•Supporting youth-led and feminist leadership across sectors
•Holding institutions accountable for their commitments to inclusive development
•Driving cross-sectoral collaboration to embed gender equality in climate action, political participation, and economic empowerment

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Julius Nyerere Leadership Center and the National Youth Council of Uganda for creating space for our participation and leadership. Their support and belief in youth-led solutions are a vital part of this journey. As we move forward, we are excited to work alongside passionate young change makers from across Uganda and the East African Community. The road ahead is one of collaboration, learning, and action, and we remain committed to advancing the goals we’ve set together.

Women Solidarity Initiative Uganda

Women Solidarity Initiative Uganda

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