Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme Welcome Four Young Leaders to Expand Their Commitment to the Global Goals

These change-makers will work with Generation17’s inaugural cohort, who have already advanced 10 Global Goals and reached more than 50 countries.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 24 February 2021 – Samsung has announced that four additional Young Leaders will join Generation17, a joint initiative with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to galvanise the global community to accomplish lasting progress on the Global Goals, or Sustainable Development Goals.

“We are proud to expand our mission and use our global reach and purposeful innovations to support a new group of inspirational young activists, who once again share Samsung’s commitment to deliver meaningful solutions that bring communities together,” said Justin Hume, Director: Integrated Mobility at Samsung South Africa. “These four leaders are integral members of the Galaxy community, and they have our full support and encouragement to continue rallying us all to advance the Global Goals and help build a better future for everyone.”

This group of Generation17 Young Leaders is made up of four visionaries combatting inequality and human rights issues and educating their generation on the Global Goals across Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe:

• Daniel Calarco (Brazil): A 23-year-old human rights activis who founded the International Youth Watch to create better opportunities for young people from marginalised communities.
• Nadine Khaouli (Lebanon): A 25-year-old community activist who leads disaster relief efforts for Lebanon in response to the 2020 Beirut Port explosion and the COVID-19 pandemic through her organisation Kafe be Kafak
• Yejin Choi (South Korea): A 26-year-old cognitive therapist turned CEO who founded DoBrain, an AI-based mobile app that aims to improve early-education opportunities for children with disabilities
• Yurii Romashko (Ukraine): A 28-year-old transparency advocate who founded the think tank Institute of Analysis and Advocacy that empowers his community to make more informed, data-based decisions in their daily lives.

The Second Cohort of Generation17 Young Leaders

Over the next year, the introduction of these new agents of change will strengthen the initiative’s inclusivity and broaden its global scale, as they spearhead previously unaddressed yet critical issues across the Global Goals.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened generational divides around the world, and it’s important now more than ever that younger generations have the opportunities and resources to be heard and to be active participants in the 2030 Sustainable Development

Agenda,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “Together, with Samsung, we’re supporting more change-makers as they build sustainable policies, communities and progress during this pivotal time. I look forward to working with this group of Young Leaders and am excited to see them lead us on a path towards recovery and resilience.”

Elevating the Voice of a Generation

Generation17 was born in October 2020 with the mission to inspire an entire generation of tech savvy young individuals to achieve the Global Goals in less than 10 years. Since launch, an inaugural cohort of Young Leaders, including Máximo Mazzocco, Sadya Touré, Shomy Chowdhury and Tafara Makaza, have championed the effort, using Samsung’s and UNDP’s support to broaden their reach.

Over the last few months, Samsung and UNDP increased the visibility and impact of their work through mentorship with the UNDP Youth Global Programme and the Global Policy Network, participation in global and regional development-related events, such as the #Youth4ClimateLive series and the Karma Dialogue, and engagement with country offices and partners.

Samsung also equipped the Young Leaders with the latest Galaxy technology to better connect them with their peers and raised awareness of their work across its global network using personalised content and the reach of its online channels. Exemplifying the need to act together, the Young Leaders leveraged their expanded network to exchange ideas and best practices and collaborate for peer-to-peer engagements. Support for the first cohort will continue throughout the year, starting with participation in the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum 2021.

Both groups of Young Leaders will immerse themselves in the seamless and connected Galaxy ecosystem and use their Galaxy devices to collaborate online and brainstorm innovative solutions to their shared challenges, ultimately addressing the diversity and complexity of the Global Goals and expanding their network of  strong activists.

The Young Leaders will continue to engage with the Global Goals using the Samsung Global Goals app, which is installed on over 100 million Galaxy smartphones and has provided more than US $1.5M in donations for UNDP. The app received an Honorable Mention in the SDG Action Awards and was an Honoree for Software & Mobile Apps, Tech for a Better World in the CES 2020 Innovations Award. It was also shortlisted in the Reuters’ Responsible Business Awards for SDG Impact.