Second Year Specialist (Year 13) Alen has recently returned from an unforgettable week in New York City, where his online project "Econvision" earned him an exclusive invitation to the United Nations General Assembly 2025.
During his whirlwind visit, Alen presented his project and delivered a speech at Columbia University, before being honoured by a senior representative from the UN Department of Peace Operations. The award recognised Econvision's global impact – including helping a young girl in Kenya improve local nutrition outcomes and secure a grant of USD 10,000.
Alen shares the inside story of his extraordinary week.
On Monday, I attended Climate Week NYC at Columbia University. I gave a speech about my project "EconVision" and ways of nurturing education to make it more meaningful and aligned with global sustainable goals, presenting to Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs and other representatives of the UN SDGs. I attended his speech on globalization and sustainability and had a chance to speak with him afterwards. After that, I went to the conference “Financing the Future: Perspectives on Climate Investing and Policy” hosted by Daniel Weiss, Professor Bruce Usher, and others. Finally, I attended the speech by the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
It was an incredible experience to meet and speak with world leaders and major figures. I was able to collect valuable feedback, present my idea, and explore ways of bringing new opportunities for sustainable development to Charterhouse. I have also been invited to join the World Food Forum 2025 in Rome as a UN SDG delegate.
ALEN, SECOND YEAR SPECIALIST (YEAR 13)
On Tuesday, I went to Deloitte to present my idea for the Deloitte Horizons Climate Week. There I also attended a debate about the sustainability of AI led by the Chief Digital Officer of Trane Technologies and the Chief Sustainability Officer of HP, and I participated in the Financing Green Technology conference. Later, I went to the UN Headquarters for the General Assembly itself, where I heard speeches by President Donald Trump and President Tokayev. Afterwards, I participated in the Sustainable Development Goals conference in the Goals Lounge at UN Headquarters.
In the evening, I was invited to a UNESCO-affiliated launch of the Learning Planet Institute, an initiative promoting youth engagement in sustainability and supporting them in designing their own sustainable development projects. I was very impressed and inspired by the UN’s effort to promote youth activity, and I would like to bring this to our School so that our pupils, in collaboration with UNESCO’s Learning Planet Institute, can create their own sustainable projects.
On Wednesday, I attended the Cornell University Climate Conference on Resilient Infrastructure at Every Scale. I gained valuable knowledge that I have integrated into my project and further research. Then, I went to the Yale Climate Week conference at the Yale Club in New York to attend sessions on sustainable investments, where I met the President of Yale as well as professors and directors of sustainable venture capital firms.
On Thursday, I attended the Princeton Climate Conference led by Princeton professors with Annette Nazareth as keynote speaker. The conference was about embodied carbon, government regulations, and their consequences. Later, I went back to the UN Headquarters for another Goals Lounge session and a meeting with the Department of Peace Operations to discuss my project. At the Goals Lounge, I met other UN youth delegates who have made a significant impact on sustainability. That day, I also saw the President of Kenya, William Ruto, among others. Afterwards, I returned to the Yale Club for two more conferences.
Finally, on Friday morning, I attended the Cornell Conference on Sustainable Engineering and Sustainable Frameworks, where I presented my project and received valuable feedback.
