Lars Westra, EU Youth Delegate to the United Nations, delivered a statement on behalf of the European Union at the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on 10 July 2026, calling for stronger alliances and meaningful stakeholder engagement to achieve the 2030 Agenda. In a speech framed as a time-travel narrative from the year 2100, Westra warned that without including young people as drivers—not just beneficiaries—of sustainable development, the world risks irreversible losses such as bee extinction. He urged the international community to look beyond conference rooms and act decisively in 2026 to build a sustainable future for generations to come.
The statement was part of the forum's session on 'Strengthening alliances for SDG implementation: stakeholder engagement for the 2030 Agenda,' held at UN headquarters in New York. Westra, speaking on behalf of the EU, emphasized that plans remain meaningless without youth championing them. The intervention reflects the EU's ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and its push for inclusive, multi-stakeholder approaches as the 2030 deadline approaches. No prior EU statements on this specific session were recorded in recent months.