Fostering Social Innovation and Youth Entrepreneurship for the Achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda: The Chinese Way

The UN 2030 AgendaYouth forYouth entrepreneurship SustainableSustainable DevelopmentSustainable development is the framework for making the greatest impact for people and planet, and in the end for advancing the well-being of humankind. One of the fundamental principles of the Agenda is to ensure no one will be left behind. It is completely in alignment with the Chinese traditional wisdomWisdom of TaoismTaoism. The target population for the pledge to leave no one behindPledge to leave no one behind, The is various, some may focus on the disadvantaged members of society, and others focus on reducing inequalities between countries, but in this Chapter the author focuses on the key principle of, ‘Ensuring no one is left behind’ with regard to the youthYouth. The Chapter addresses four broad questions. First, who are those left behind? Second, why are they left behind? Third, what methods and mechanisms exist to reach and involve them? And fourth, what types of appropriate strategiesStrategy and policiesPolicy might the national authorities develop in order to leave no one behind? The purposePurpose of the 2030 Agenda is to realize the commitment to the achievement of SDGsSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensuring no one is left behind. To successfully achieve the purposePurpose of SDGs requires national authorities to empower the youthsYouth as global leaders and engage them in the realization of SDGs by creating an enabling an environment that promotes innovationInnovation and entrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship. Fostering innovation and youthYouth entrepreneurshipYouth entrepreneurship calls for multi-pronged strategiesStrategy, implementation and involvement at all levels including governmentGovernment, industry, political, socialSocial and as well as the educational sector. The Chapter examines the implications of ‘ensuring no one is left behind’ for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It will also briefly discuss the connections between the commitment to leave no one behind and three related strategiesStrategy for the achievement of the SDGsSustainable Development Goals (SDGs): innovationInnovation, youthYouth, and entrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship. The Chapter then reviews some of the concepts and methods used to identify those left behind, as well as some of the methods that are used to reach them in practice. Finally, the Chapter highlights examples of development strategiesStrategy that the Chinese government has used in the achievement of sustainableSustainable developmentSustainable development goals.