FES New York 2020 Virtual Fall Academy

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, unanimously adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, is a call for global solutions to humanity’s common challenges such as environmental degradation, climate change, gender equality, economic asymmetries, and migration.

In 2016, therefore, FES New York began hosting an annual, week-long Fall Academy to support the practical use of the Agenda. Each year, 12 young international policy makers from all regions of the world, nominated by FES country offices, were invited to New York to discuss how the Sustainable Development Goals can be used for progressive, transformative politics in their home country.

This year, given the travel and meeting restrictions, FES New York invites young international policy makers to be part of this exciting dialogue and participate in our 2020 Virtual Fall Academy. From September to November 2020, the FES NY office will host five web-based seminars. These interactive sessions will be dedicated to the global reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, the state of the UN at its 75th anniversary, and the use of the Agenda 2030 to build back better after the Corona crisis.

As with the ‘real’ Fall Academy, our target audience for this year’s Virtual Fall Academy consists of highly engaged young people working in politics, academia, trade unions, women's and grassroots organizations, media, and other civil society organizations. Participants must have a good command of English, should be between 25 and 35 years old, and have some basic knowledge of the UN and the Agenda 2030.

Those who actively engage in all seminars will enter the selection process to become one of 12 participants who will be invited to come to New York in 2021. Invitees will attend a week-long FES Academy to deepen their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals with first-hand experience at the UN.