JA Worldwide at UNGA 2025: Partnering for Youth, Opportunity, and Impact

October 20, 2025

Last month, during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 2025), JA Worldwide and our network of partners and leaders participated in a week of high-level events and discussions centered on youth, education, and opportunity. Through panels, roundtables, and collaborations, JA’s global leadership helped amplify the voice and role of young people in shaping a more peaceful and prosperous future.

Monday, September 22
The week began on Monday, September 22, when JA Worldwide Chief Development Officer Leo Martellotto joined the Brookings Institution event on “Shaping the Future of Education: Insights and Actions from the Brookings Global Task Force on AI in Education.” (See Leo’s posts here and here.) Hosted by JA global partner EY, the session explored how artificial intelligence can enhance learning while mitigating inequality, with a focus on equitable, learner-centered education systems. The discussion drew participants from across the education and technology sectors, including Brookings expert Rebecca Winthrop, who also serves on JA Worldwide’s global board. The event aligned with JA’s commitment to preparing young people for the future of work and ensuring that technological innovation serves inclusion and access rather than deepening divides.

Tuesday, September 23
On Tuesday afternoon, JA participated in the “Global Forum on Neuroinclusion,” an event hosted by Everway Global, in partnership with Google, and moderated by Everway’s Gus Schmedlen, who also sits on the JA Worldwide Board of Governors. Sessions focused on neurodiversity in education and the workplace and featured a range of neurodiversity experts in inclusive hiring and workforce design and included remarks from the New York City Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. Conversations referenced findings from EY’s 2025 Global Neuroinclusion at Work study and the Everway Neuroinclusion Toolkit, highlighting how inclusive design fosters innovation, productivity, and wellbeing across education and employment systems. JA Worldwide Chief Marketing Officer Tere Stouffer served as a panelist, underscoring our belief that experiential learning and entrepreneurship environments are key to youth economic empowerment.

Later that day, at the UNGA Goals House, EY Ripples hosted a roundtable on “Empowering Generations: Reshaping the Future of Learning,” with Gillian Hinde, EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader and JA Global Council member, and Asheesh co-hosting leaders from the private sector, education, and NGOs. With special insights from Zubair Junjunia (ZNotes), Michele Ganeless (Comic Relief US), and Bahia Gatti (Columbia University), with Ryan Heath (Robin Al) moderating. This group  explored how to design learning experiences that are relevant, inclusive and future-ready and build learning ecosystems that reflect the realities of young people today and empower them for the opportunities of the future.

Wednesday, September 24
On Wednesday, JA Worldwide hosted one of the week’s central youth events: “Building Peace for Youth: Safety, Dignity, and Opportunity”, co-organized with Junior Achievement of New York and hosted at their beautiful facility. JA Worldwide CEO Asheesh Advani opened the panel, welcomed participants and introduced JA New York CEO Betty Garger, and then Tere as the moderator. The discussion reframed peace as more than the absence of conflict, instead defining it as the presence of systems that enable young people to thrive—safe environments, dignity through inclusion, and pathways to opportunity.

The panel brought together a diverse group of speakers: Ameen Abdul, immediate past president of the Nigerian Red Cross Youth and Chair of the Red Cross Red Crescent African Youth Network; Brendan Tuohey, Co-Founder and President of Peace Players; Her Highness Princess Sama Bint Faisal Al Saud, Board Member of the World Scout Foundation; and Maiya Adolphus, a chemical and biomolecular engineering student at NYU and JA New York’s 2023 Student of the Year. Each panelist illuminated one of the three building blocks of peace—safety, dignity, and opportunity—through their experiences in humanitarian response, sport-based reconciliation, youth leadership, and entrepreneurship education. The discussion highlighted how young people are not just beneficiaries but active drivers of peacebuilding and economic stability, themes central to JA’s mission across more than 100 countries. Listen to the recording of the panel below.

Also on Wednesday, Asheesh served as the moderator for a session at the World Economic Forum Sustainable Development Meetings. The topic of the session was “Rethinking Learning, Skills and Talent in the AI Era” and featured Nela Richardson (ADP), Isabelle Hau (Stanford University), David Treat (Pearson), Pia Britto (UNICEF), Maymee Kurian (G42), and Lydia Logan (IBM). It is a privilege for JA to be leading critical dialogues about the future of work alongside some of the world's largest employers and representatives from government and civil society.

That evening, JA attended the launch of a new strategic partnership among the United Nations Youth Office and the “Big Six” youth organizations, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, YMCA and YWCA, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Organization of the Scout Movement, and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. The initiative reflects a broad commitment to youth empowerment and collaboration that aligns closely with JA’s ongoing partnerships with UN Youth and several of these global movements.

Thursday, September 25
On Thursday, JA Africa CEO Simi Nwogugu, Leo, and Asheesh participated in “Unlocking Youth Innovation for Climate Resilience,” a roundtable hosted by Goodwall, JA Worldwide, Generation Unlimited (UNICEF), Qatar Foundation (WISE), and the Wyss Academy for Nature. The session, led by Goodwall co-founder Taha Bawa, focused on connecting youth innovation with environmental and social transformation. Participants exchanged powerful insights on how young entrepreneurs and changemakers can link economic opportunity with community resilience and sustainability. The roundtable drew together perspectives from multilateral agencies, social enterprises, and corporate partners, generating new ideas on how youth-led solutions can scale globally through partnership networks. The event reflected the shared commitment between JA and Goodwall to help young people build purpose-driven careers and contribute meaningfully to social impact.

(For an detailed summary of the week, check out Simi’s reflections from UNGA, emphasizing the importance of African voices in global dialogues on youth empowerment, referencing insights shared by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and others during the week.)

In addition to public panels, JA held a series of one-on-one meetings with leaders from corporate, multilateral, and nonprofit sectors, each focused on expanding opportunity for young people through entrepreneurship, employability, and collaboration across borders.

By attending UNGA, JA helps shape conversations that place young people at the heart of global decision-making. From exploring the ethical use of AI in education to championing neuroinclusion, peacebuilding, and entrepreneurship, the organization’s contributions reflected a consistent theme: Lasting prosperity begins when every young person has the safety, dignity, and opportunity to thrive.

JA staff attending UNGA, from left to right: Don Sedlock, Simi Nwogugu, Ana Martiningui, Tere Stouffer, Leo Martellotto, Asheesh Advani, Hernan Zocco