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SAAs an ICESCO Youth Peace Ambassador, I had the immense honor of representing youth of the Islamic World and at the 2025 United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum — the UN’s main global platform for youth to engage on the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.
Over the course of April 14–18, 2025, I joined youth leaders, ministers, and high-level UN officials at the UN Headquarters in New York City to discuss how we — the next generation — are not just waiting for change, but actively building it.
I was given the floor to speak during a high-level ministerial session, in the presence of:
H.E. Bob Rae, President of the Economic and Social Council
Dr. Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs
Dr. Sameh Kamel, moderator and Secretary of MGCY
I shared my story, starting at the age of 12, when I met a deaf-mute individual whose experience inspired me to create SIMON — an AI-powered smartwatch that helps those with hearing and speech disabilities communicate in real time. That moment of empathy shaped my purpose and led me to study medicine — not just to heal, but to innovate for a more inclusive and accessible world.
At the forum, I also participated in key side events including:
“Youth at the Forefront: Leveraging Science and Social Inclusion for Sustainable Development”
The launch of Qatar’s UN Youth Delegates Programme, where I had the pleasure of meeting H.E. Sheikha Alya Al Thani and H.E. Eng. Yasser Al Jammal
I was also featured on UN TV Arabic, where I spoke about the intersection of medicine, youth empowerment, and technology for peace.
This experience reminded me that youth don’t need experience to make a difference — we need opportunity, support, and belief in our ideas.
To every young person out there:
Don’t wait for a perfect moment. Create it.
Don’t wait to be invited to the table. Build your own.
The world needs your courage, your creativity, and your compassion.
Act now. Be bold. Lead with empathy.
#DrSandySalem #ECOSOCYouthForum2025 #UnitedNations #YouthPeaceAmbassador #YouthLeadership #SDGs #SIMONDevice #MedicalInnovation #InclusiveTech #ICESCO #YouthVoices #OneWorld #ActNow #UNYouth #YouthPower #ainshamsuniversity
@sandyysalem
