Samsung Electronics and the United Nations Development Programme Appoint Three New Young Leaders as Inspirational Voices for the Global Goals

Singaporean changemaker among the young leaders appointed to inspire and mobilise youths to take action and accelerate the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced that three new Young Leaders had joined Generation17, an initiative in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support young changemakers working to achieve the 17 Global Goals.^[1] The addition of these three Young Leaders will help educate people about critical global challenges and the solutions needed to deliver a more prosperous future by 2030.

For the first time, Samsung and UNDP conducted an open call that rallied thousands of passionate young people from all over the world to apply to join Generation17. This new group of Generation17 Young Leaders, chosen from a competitive pool of candidates, will add new perspectives to the initiative, and their projects will bring forth new solutions in education, skills and training and health equity.

Mock Yi Jun is one of the newly appointed Young Leaders. Hailing from Singapore, Yi Jun is the co-founder of Advisory Singapore, an online portal dedicated to empowering young people from all walks of life to make informed education and career choices. He is passionate about providing quality education to youth to help them succeed in tomorrow’s economy.

The two other changemakers, Zubair Junjunia from the United Kingdom and Efe Johnson from Nigeria, have also been selected as Young Leaders. Zubair is the founder of ZNotes and Efe is a gender equality activist and founder of Xari Africa.

“I am truly excited about the selection of the three Young Leaders, especially Singapore’s representative Mock Yi Jun. We strongly believe that Yi Jun’s unwavering commitment and expertise will not only inspire the younger generation but also ignite their potential to drive impactful change. At Samsung, our commitment to nurturing and empowering youth runs deep, and we are always looking for opportunities to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to forge a brighter future,” stated Dennis Jang, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore.

“At Advisory Singapore, we believe that every young person, regardless of their family background or schooling history, deserves the opportunity to pursue their aspirations. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of an initiative like Generation17, which is an incredible platform for my team and I to empower individuals, particularly Singaporean youth, to take control of their education and career journeys. My goal is to inspire and support young people, helping them to pursue their aspirations and find meaningful work,” said Mock Yi Jun.

One of the initiatives that Yi Jun will be actively involved in is the Solve for Tomorrow 2023 competition. Aligned with his passion to deliver quality educational and career guidance to youth, the competition aims to give secondary school students the platform and experience needed to unlock their technological potential and help explore their passions. The experience will not only give them the opportunity to cultivate their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, but also help them grow and thrive as global citizens.

Amplifying Youth Leadership on a Global Platform

Samsung and UNDP launched Generation17 in October 2020, with the goal of magnifying the voices of young people accelerating progress for the Global Goals. Since the program’s launch, Samsung and UNDP have gathered 17 Young Leaders across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America who work on issues that touch all 17 of the Global Goals.

Together, Samsung and UNDP provide the Young Leaders with mentorship and the latest Galaxy technology needed to help progress their work. The Young Leaders also have the opportunity to participate in agenda-setting events to help elevate their platforms and connect with global decision-makers. Generation17 Young Leaders have participated in various events over the years, including Samsung’s Unpacked, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, UN ECOSOC Youth Forum, Stockholm +50 and the United Nations General Assembly.

Generation17 is grounded in Samsung and UNDP’s commitment to leveraging technology as a force for good. The two organisations first partnered in 2019 to create the Samsung Global Goals app, an education and donation-based mobile app that educates people about the Global Goals and encourages them to take action just by using their Galaxy devices. Since its launch, the app has been installed on nearly 300 million Galaxy devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.

^{[1] The 17 Global Goals, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 and provide a blueprint to end poverty, protect the environment, reduce economic inequality and ensure peace and justice for all.}