A youth-led side event titled ‘Architects of Equitable Financing’ was held at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville. Organized by Bagmati UNESCO Club in collaboration with BPW International and the Bagmati Province Youth Council, the session aimed to highlight the role of youth in promoting inclusive and innovative financing approaches toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event was chaired by Nishchal Baniya, Chairperson of Bagmati UNESCO Club. The session focused on integrating grassroots, youth-driven innovations into broader financing systems and emphasized the need to address barriers faced by young changemakers—such as limited capital access, bureaucratic hurdles, and lack of mentorship. Keynote addresses included Jenny Elmaco, UN Representative to UNESCO and UN Vienna for BPW International, who spoke on ‘Gender-Based Climate Finance: Ensuring Equitable Access and Impact for Young Women’, and Adonis Cortes, Youth Advisor for UNOPS’s Youth Engagement Platform, who discussed youth-led innovation in his talk, ‘Local Innovations: Global Impact’.

A panel discussion followed, featuring Elmaco, Cortes, and Emmanuel Ohiri, Development Strategist from the FfD4 Youth Constituency of UN MGCY. The discussion was moderated by Nakita from the same constituency and focused on local innovations and their potential to scale globally.

The event, led by a three-member delegation from Bagmati UNESCO Club, including Savyata Poudel and Yubraj Bajgain, aimed to promote inclusive financing models tailored to youth entrepreneurship, foster knowledge-sharing among stakeholders, and introduce practical digital tools to support projects such as cultural heritage preservation.