by Dan Bena
Yesterday, we had the honor and pleasure of hosting in Purchase nearly 100 United Nations Youth Ambassadors from around the world in advance of the United Nations Youth Assembly (UNYA). The UNYA is a conference that begins today at UN headquarters in New York City that brings 600 young leaders from around the globe together to discuss progress against the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
PepsiCo has sponsored the trips of 34 delegates from Latin America, the Middle East and Africa to attend sessions, discuss and debate with counterparts from around the world – a truly remarkable opportunity for individuals that have shown passion for driving the MDGs and improving their local communities and environment. (Read the related press release. View a slideshow of the PepsiCo UNYA delegates during the week’s activities.)
You can read a lot about the MDGs online, but—at their foundation—they are about helping to lift people out of poverty. If people can make more money, they can also have sustainable access to the building blocks of a healthy community—health, education, water and sanitation, food security. It staggers the mind to think that there are still nearly four billion people across the world who live on less than $4 per day. We have to help, if we can, and PepsiCo believes business plays an important role in helping achieve the MDGs. Through our commitment to supporting the Goals, we’ve already made a positive impact in areas such as under-nutrition and environmental sustainability, including sustainable water management and the human right to safe and clean water.
Through involvement with the UNYA, PepsiCo is able to engage with our next generation of leaders, officials, executives and activists. During their visit, I spoke to them about Performance with Purpose, and how—in a rapidly changing world—the one thing that they should rely upon is their values. It was rewarding for me to share with them how the PepsiCo Values are rooted within the PepsiCo culture and the way we operate, as well as the measured progress we’re making against our 15 environmental sustainability goals and commitments.
PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi also welcomed the young leaders, encouraging them to remain committed to their goals and to serve as change agents. Indra ended with this quote from famed anthropologist and humanitarian, Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Click the video below to listen to her remarks, and view a slideshow of their visit to the PepsiCo campus.
To get to know the PepsiCo delegates better, we asked: “What do you think will be the biggest opportunity for your generation?” Here are some of their responses:
- “To be part of the decision making process in shaping the policies and the strategies of our countries.”
- “We are seeing more youth today as agents of change rather than just spectators. Our biggest challenge is to think outside of the box and do things differently and learn from past mistakes.”
- “The biggest opportunity will be in living in a peaceful world, empty from poverty, armed conflicts and foreign occupation.
- “Working together for unified goals thanks to the internet and new media that made the world a small connected village; building new civilizations based on mutual respect and interdependence.”
- “When governments understand that everything holding the name “youth” should incorporate youth in its structure, personnel and outcome.”
- “Our voices will count, our voices will reach the highest areas, our voices will change. I hope that this generation and the next generation work all together for one goal and one dream.”
For more about the PepsiCo delegates and their experiences in New York, check out the delegate-created website “What’s Up Youth” at www.wupny or follow their live coverage of UNYA activities on Twitter (@wupy).
