United Nations Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City

From August 26-28, 2019, InterConnections 21 attended the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Typically held at the UN Headquarters in New York City, the Salt Lake City conference invited over 3,000 civil society representatives from around the world to exchange ideas and build partnerships on relevant issues including the Sustainable Development Goals. The conference focused on Goal #11: building inclusive and sustainable cities and communities. It also placed a large emphasis on youth engagement and Goal #4: quality education for all.

IC21 engaged with like-minded organizations such as the United Nations Association of the U.S.A. – Utah Chapter and the National Model United Nations organization. Workshop leaders included Michael Scott Peters, a Utah native who recently completed his term as the UNA-USA Youth Observer to the UN. Conference attendees (and interested members of the public!) collaborated on outcome documents such as the Salt Lake City Youth Climate Compact. It was fantastic to see the wide range of work being done by civil society organizations while highlighting the many goals that we are still striving to achieve.