SM Cares, together with the Global Peace Foundation (GPF), recently launched this year’s Global Youth Summit. The event, which marks the first of a four-leg series, was launched last August 11, 2023, Friday, at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.

The Global Youth Summit is an annual gathering of thousands of students and youth leaders from all over the Philippines, where they will be given the opportunity to learn about pressing societal concerns related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and work with each other in addressing them.

This year, guest speakers included the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey, who spoke on how generating awareness and fighting stigma can improve HIV prevention and treatment in the Philippines, while Make A Difference (MAD) Travel Founder and sustainability educator Rafael Dionisio talked about environmental issues such as deforestation and plastic waste pollution and what steps the youth can do to help mitigate these problems and prevent them from worsening.

The Head of Milo Sports Carlos Sampan touched on how community support can positively impact individuals and encourage them to succeed, with the help of video messages from Southeast Asian Games Gold medalists Jamie Lim and Japoy Lizardo, and Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena.

Angkas CEO George Royeca talked about utilizing digital platforms and social media to develop innovative solutions to existing problems, and shared how meeting the needs of individuals in a micro setting will lead to solving bigger problems on a larger scale.

GPF Asia Pacific Regional President Ingill Ra gave an impassioned speech on how unity in the face of challenges and adversity can help spark the change needed to move towards a better society, and finally, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Philippines Youth Ambassador Nick Chun shared his insights on how critical youth involvement is in social issues, especially in responsible tourism.