Being recognized as the “Island of World Peace,” Jeju has established a variety of projects that are aiming to increase both global citizenship and the fostering of young talents to become the leaders of the future. In this regard, events like the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity or the Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Forum have invited local and international experts to share their expertise on regards to peacebuilding and sustainability. However, ever since last year, the UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research) CIFAL Jeju International Training Center started the ‘Jeju International Future Generation Forum (JIFF),’

This forum, compared to the ones previously mentioned, takes a different approach to the way the youth are involved in their programs. For example, the Jeju Forum and the Young Leaders Forum are just a series of seminars in which young people engage as an audience while hearing and learning from the experts themselves. On the contrary, the JIFF does give its participants training but it also provides the opportunity for them to design proposals that address international issues and receive immediate feedback from experts, while also engaging in dialogue in an equal level.

The 2023 edition of the forum – the second year it has been done – was also hosted by the Jeju Self-Governing Province and it was held from November 24th to the 26th in the Center of Social Connectivity of Jeju. 60 young leaders from Jeju and Jeju’s sister cities reunited to explore global issues and create concrete measures and strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

There were four main points of debate during the forum: Environmental Sustainability (emphasizing SDGs 13, 14 and 15); Equality and Justice (emphasizing SDGs 5, 10, 16); Prosperity and Innovation (emphasizing SDGs 8, 9, 12); and Global Jeju (emphasizing SDG 11). Before the forum started, 8 members of the Youth Steering Committee built proposals tailored around these topics in the course of five weeks. Then, each proposal was discussed among the other participants of the forum in order to improve and modify any of the suggestions made by the Youth Steering Committee. And in the end, these proposals turned into recommendations presented to high-level figures in a roundtable discussion.

The opening ceremony of the forum had the participation of the Governor of the Jeju Self-governing Province Oh Young-hun and the president of JNU, Kim Eel-hwan, among other important diplomatic figures residing in Jeju Island. After the forum was finished, the participants had the opportunity to Dongmun Market, Geomun Oreum and the Mapie Brewery as part of guided tours around the island.

When interviewed by the staff of The Islander, participants had mostly positive comments of their experience. Since most of them were visiting Jeju for the first time through this experience, they were “amazed by the cultural diversity of Jeju” and willing to learn more about its tragic history. On the other hand, other participants mentioned that the organization felt “rushed” and that they “did not receive enough time to make efficient proposals.” Hopefully these issues will improve in future iterations to further establish Jeju as a hub of international talent.