Ban Ki-Moon x UNESCO Youth Forum Conference: Review

(From left to right) Director of Operations Andrew Jin, Founder Kevin Si, and Director of Operations Harrison Tang pose in front of the Ban Ki-Moon banner

On April 17th, 2024, Project Pyxis North American team leaders Kevin Si, Andrew Jin, and Harrison Tang traveled to New York City to unite for the UN ECOSOC x Ban Ki-Moon Foundation’s Youth Form event.

The Economic and Social Council is the heart of the United Nation’s economic, social, and environmental changemakers. It fosters conversation and change across the world in these three key sectors and provides youth leaders of NGOs like Project Pyxis a platform for advocacy. The Ban Ki-Moon Foundation, named after former UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, carries on his legacy of leadership, action, and advocacy by developing the next generation of international leadership. The Foundation works to advance Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, which combat international systemic inequalities. As leaders of Project Pyxis, Kevin, Andrew, and Harrison focuse on SDG 3: Ensure Healthy Lives and Well-Being. Through Project Pyxis, they aim to develop systems of local, national, and international change that can reduce the rate of lethal opioid overdoses to zero teenagers every year.

At the conference, leaders were able to discuss with other international NGO youth leaders on effective strategies to reach a broader audience and expanding overseas. Furthermore, leaders workshopped effective advocacy strategies and heard presentations from established young adult leaders. Leaders Kevin and Andrew were also able to interview with the Ban Ki-Moon Foundation’s representative about their contributions to Project Pyxis and the SDG program overall. At the end of the night, they felt incredibly honored to have been a part of the international youth forum and are optimistic for the future of Project Pyxis in collaboration with ECOSOC.