During a recent visit to United Nations Headquarters in New York, GSF Steering Committee Member Falit Sijariya met with Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, to discuss opportunities for deeper cooperation between student-led movements and the United Nations system.
The meeting focused on advancing shared ideas around meaningful youth participation and exploring how student voices can be more structurally embedded within multilateral processes. As students represent one of the largest and most organised constituencies of young people globally, ensuring their perspectives are included in international decision-making remains a key priority for the Global Student Forum.
Discussions also highlighted the importance of moving beyond symbolic participation towards democratic and representative engagement mechanisms that enable young people and students to influence decisions that affect their lives and futures.
The Global Student Forum particularly values Felipe Paullier’s commitment to democratising access to global decision-making spaces. Rather than gatekeeping participation, his approach seeks to broaden opportunities for young people to engage meaningfully with international institutions, an approach that closely aligns with GSF’s vision for student representation and participation.
As the United Nations continues to explore new pathways for youth engagement, the Global Student Forum remains committed to ensuring that students are recognised not only as beneficiaries of policies, but as partners in shaping them.
The meeting marks another step in the growing collaboration between student movements and the United Nations, and GSF looks forward to advancing several promising ideas and initiatives together in the months ahead.
