New Delhi [India], August 14: On the event of International Youth Day, BRICS CCI hosted a webinar on Youth for SDGs: A Bid for a betterFuture along with a Cultural Gala event as a way to celebrate diversity across the BRICS nations.

The associate partners for the event were: Confederation of Young Leaders, the Young India Foundation, the South African BRICS Youth Association, Awaaz Foundation, Spasmodic, International sharing school, TV Brics and Raisina House. The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil were assisting the Chamber in search of Cultural representation from their respective countries.

The Webinar on Youth for SDGs was inaugurated with a welcome address Mr. Vishwas Tripathi (Chairman, BRICS CCI) and a special address by Mr. Sameep Shastri (Vice- Chairman, BRICS CCI). The session was presided by Mr. Sudhanshu Kaushik (Founder, Young India Foundation & North American Association for Indian Students) as the Guest of Honour.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Vishwas Tripathi (Chairman, BRICS CCI) stated, “Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance.”

Mr. Sameep Shastri (Vice- Chairman, BRICS CCI), in his special address, stated, “The young generation will play a vital role in the development of new technologies by leveraging the AI, machine learning and robotics which will solve global problems and make this world a better place to live for future generations.”

The webinar was on Youth for SDGs: a Bid for a Better Future. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of global goals drawn out by the United Nations as the “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.”Youth for SDGs advocates the participation of young people in achieving these goals and channels the voices of future leaders to bring in a change. The panel discussion explored a myriad of topics discussed by a cohort of a diverse panel of experts from all across the globe.

  • Mitali Nikore (Economist & Policy Specialist ) (India)
  • Noma Mngoma (Founder, Norma Mngoma Foundation) (South Africa)
  • Patricia Zanella (Entrepreneur, Environmental activist, and Researcher) (Brazil)
  • Lara Martins (Head of B Corps Community at Sistema) (Brazil)
  • Isabela Espíndola (IR Water researcher; Ph.D. candidate at USP) (Brazil)
  • Miguel Santos (CEO at International Sharing School) (Portugal)

It was moderated by Mr. Ankit Jhamb (Senior Associate Director, Capability Development, KPMG)

The evening concluded with a Cultural Gala Night hosted by BRICS CCI. This event brought in artistic and musical performances from all the five countries of BRICS. One could see the plethora of art and culture from different corners of the world that acts as a bridge to connect with one another. In total, there were 14 performances, both live and recorded.

The session was inaugurated by Dr. BBL Madhukar (Director – General, BRICS CCI). He stated, “Under the prevailing pandemic situation, the global culture and tourism has been severely affected thus cultural-related communication is more significant than ever, in times of suspicion and tension, the mutual learning of another’s culture paves the way for people and states to work towards a humanitics society through thick and thin.”

Mr. Sahil Seth (Joint Commissioner, GST Mumbai & President, International Delphic Council, Maharashtra) presided as the Guest of Honour. He stated, “Culture is the backbone of any society, and we all are part of it. With time there is a need for culture change, which we call cultural transformation. And here the youth play a very crucial role; they understand what the need of the hour is and then take actions accordingly to bring change in the society.”

The participants were- Carol Moura  (Singer) BRAZIL, Dunhuang (Dance) CHINA, Alice Luo (Flute) CHINA, Shreya Goel (Dancer) INDIA, Subhadip Ganguly (Violin) INDIA, Never Stopped Dancing (CHINA), Collegiate a Cappella Choir (RUSSIA), Rishabh Mittal (Flute) INDIA, Nondumo (Singer) SOUTH AFRICA, Ridhi Samrat (Dancer) INDIA, Baile de Quarteto (Band) BRAZIL, Bianca Gismonti and Julio Falavigna (Band) BRAZIL, João Bittencourt (Solo concert) BRAZIL, 昭祎Betty Zhaoyi YAN CHINA

Youth for SDGs: A Bid for a Better Future Live Link- https://youtu.be/EyGe_4ALlN4

Cultural Gala Night Live Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgiPqzp_hS4&t=1s