In May 2025, over 30 youth representatives from across five continents gathered in the plenary hall at the UN ESCAP headquarters to jointly declare the 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration and the Bangkok Sustainability Book.

As an official international media partner, Harry Hsu, CEO of《The Icons》, was invited to deliver a keynote speech titled “From Influence to Action: The Responsibility of Leaders in the Sustainability Generation.”

“In the context of driving global sustainability, leaders—whether youth or corporate—can no longer be mere supporters or onlookers. Every individual should build their personal brand, ensuring that their values are visible and their influence can be sustained,” Harry reminded the assembled leaders from the public, private, academic, and research sectors. He emphasized that brand power is not just a commercial product but a declaration of values—and a tool for extending global impact.

Leaders Stand Out Because of the Power of Personal Branding

Harry Hsu emphasized that in the context of sustainability, a leader’s voice is not merely about exposure but also about carrying values and making responsibilities visible. It is both a signal and a commitment—a declaration of what you’re willing to speak up for and who you’re willing to stand with:

“Personal branding is no longer just for celebrities; it’s the essential foundation of modern leadership. In the face of climate change, social divisions, and digital imbalances, whose voice matters, and on what issues they speak, will shape what the world chooses to believe.”

Harry reminded the audience that the purpose of making your voice heard is not just to be noticed, but to have your cause adopted, amplified, and integrated into systems. When a young leader, entrepreneur, or nonprofit leader chooses to proactively build their influence, they are not merely participating in the world but helping to write its narrative and language.

In his keynote speech, he especially urged the new generation of leaders: “Especially for young leaders: your voices, perspectives, and creativity, if not effectively translated, can easily be misunderstood or overlooked. That’s why we need a framework and a language that help values be understood and influence be magnified.”

He noted that in an era of information overload, it’s not content that’s scarce, but attention. The voices that leave a lasting mark are not the loudest, but the ones that are trusted, systematic, and embedded in mechanisms for ongoing public engagement:

“A changemaker who is not prepared to express themselves effectively externally, no matter how dynamic, may be invisible on the international stage. This is not just an issue of media, international opinion, or external factors—it’s about lacking a voice of your own. Without a personal brand, it’s nearly impossible to have an impact.”

Harry Hsu: A Leader’s Personal Brand is a Structured Personal Asset

Harry Hsu pointed out that in the modern era, a personal brand is no longer just about image management; it is a structured strategic asset. It conveys values, builds trust, and becomes a key to unlocking international dialogue and resource connections. “A leader with a clear narrative, consistent style, and a solid track record of contributions can more quickly earn positive recognition from policy institutions, investors, and the media, which is a tangible influence capital,” he explained.

For young advocacy leaders, a personal brand is a commercial translation tool that transforms ideas into proposals and missions into tangible enterprises. For corporate leaders, it is an extension of communication with stakeholders, enabling them to align ESG, SDG, DEI, and other sustainability agendas with their business interests — not just “doing” but also being “recognized” and “followed up,” ultimately achieving a win-win in both commercial success and sustainable impact.

“In our work with clients, we’ve seen many who are technically advanced and visionary but lack a strategic narrative from their founders or CEOs, making it difficult for their products to enter UN systems or international collaboration frameworks,” Harry emphasized. “This is not just about exposure; it’s about negotiation leverage and value-setting,” he said.

“A brand without a named face is easily overlooked and interchangeable on the international stage. But when founders or CEOs step up and build a narrative framework through their personal brand, it creates a non-price competitive edge.”

When CEOs Step Up, Companies Can Turn a New Page!

Harry Hsu also shared a practical case. A female founder from Southeast Asia, focused on green building materials, had already built significant R&D capabilities and industry reputation in her regional market, winning several technical certifications and innovation awards over the years. However, she struggled to enter international policy dialogues and sustainable collaboration platforms. Despite repeated attempts to participate in cross-governmental projects, she failed to make the final shortlist due to the lack of a recognizable leadership image and strategic external communication.

《The Icons》team was invited to provide strategic advice, helping her refine her corporate narrative, focus on her personal positioning, and design brand language and public exposure strategies suitable for the international dialogue context. A few months later, she was invited to speak at a high-profile ESG summit, focusing on the role and practices of Southeast Asian female founders in regional sustainable transitions.

After her speech, her perspectives were picked up by various international media outlets, and her company received an inquiry from a Nordic city planning agency, opening the door to multi-party negotiations. In a short time, she transitioned from a regional market innovator to an active participant in global sustainable construction networks.

“This is not a one-off miracle, but rather the natural result of long-term value being translated and amplified through a personal brand structure,” said Harry. “Her company’s operations and business scope hadn’t changed — but she was now seen, and her brand was ready for the next growth stage. That’s the leverage effect of a personal brand,” Harry explained.

“The core of a leader’s personal brand is not about hype, but about building trust. It ensures that ideas are not confined to business presentations, policy reports, or media coverage, but instead become something that people are willing to fund, endorse, and amplify. A truly effective personal brand is a crucial lever that opens up new trust, extending the reach of one’s values.”

When Responsibility Meets Strategy: How to Make Ideas Go Further?

As a long-time advocate and driver of international communication, brand PR strategy, and global initiatives, Harry Hsu emphasized in an interview: “Influence is never a one-off burst, but rather the cumulative build-up of strategic depth. A leader should not only deliver messages but also design the system through which those messages flow—so that values can transcend boundaries and continue to resonate.”

He underscored that truly impactful advocacy doesn’t just happen at a perfect presentation, but rather leaves footprints in policy formation, resource allocation, and cultural narratives across different contexts and timeframes: “If an idea cannot cross languages and platforms, it cannot truly evolve into social change.”

Harry pointed out that while many outstanding advocates—especially young leaders and non-profit changemakers—often have passion, expertise, and sincerity, they sometimes get stuck in the self-satisfaction of having ‘good content’ and overlook the importance of strategic design and narrative translation: “They have the passion, expertise, and sincerity, but they lack the means and frequency to get the world to hear them. In the end, they’re either misunderstood or drowned out,” he explained.

“An idea isn’t meant to be heard only within the echo chamber; it must be designed so the world can understand it. If it fails to gain traction, it might not be the audience’s fault, but rather a lack of strategy on your part,” he said.

In his speech, Harry also called on governments, businesses, and international platforms to invest resources in building opportunities for advocacy skills—narrative strength, design skills, and translation abilities: “Not every valuable voice will naturally surface. We need to heat them up, add pressure, and create channels so that ideals are not just ideas, but become practical energies that society can use, institutions can absorb, and others can build upon.”

From Being Heard to Being Trusted

In his closing remarks, Harry Hsu emphasized that for young advocacy leaders to become key players in the international sustainability agenda, they must transform from “people with voices” to “people who are trusted.” This requires not only ideals but also the methods and structures to carry them forward. A personal brand is the path that expands the value of one’s voice and multiplies trust—marking the beginning of a leader’s journey to becoming a changemaker: “A meaningful advocacy is not just about standing on stage to voice an opinion, but about creating a collective design that inspires others to follow.”

“The same applies to business leaders,” he continued. “Especially in this era of sustainable development, both leaders and their companies must demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to attract resources and partnerships. Leaders must create forms of expression that allow society to embrace their beliefs. Every actor who wants the world to remember their name—whether they’re advocacy leaders or corporate leaders—must inevitably become part of this era.”

This vision aligns with the core mission that Harry Hsu has led at《The Icons》—helping a new generation of leaders, founders, and changemakers transform their influence from ideals to narratives, from narratives to recognition, and from recognition to building global collaboration capital. Through a multilingual media matrix, international advocacy initiatives, and cross-cultural branding strategies, The Icons supports leaders with both corporate direction and a sense of public responsibility, enabling them to step onto a larger world stage—no matter where they come from or what language they speak.

“As long as they believe they can move from being ‘people with voices’ to being ‘people who are trusted,’ their personal brand will inevitably become the strongest foundation for achieving their vision.”

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The post 30 Youth Leaders and Entrepreneurs from 30 Countries Gather at the UN ESCAP to Advocate for Sustainability!《The Icons》CEO Harry Hsu: Leaders Must Build Their Personal Brands to Turn Values into Real Impact! first appeared on The Icons.

The forum culminated in the release of the 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration, presented with great significance at the UN’s Asia-Pacific headquarters. This moment marked a powerful surge in youth-driven engagement in global policy agendas.

One of the forum’s key invited speakers—brought together through the collaboration of cross-border civil society organisations—was Jack Huang, Consultant to the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) and the forum’s Youth Impact Chair. In an exclusive interview with《The Icons》Bangkok team, he shared:“I’m grateful to the organisers for inviting me to serve as the Youth Impact Chair of this international forum. From the perspective of a volunteer, our role isn’t just to inspire—it’s to help youth leaders turn their ideals into real, community-based solutions.”

Jack Huang: Supporting the Scale of the Declaration through Regional Action with a Global Vision

This forum—jointly organised by the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation, the STUF United Fund Asia Pacific Center, and Southeast Bangkok University—was far more than a symbolic gathering. From early-stage policy simulations and local field research to transnational design workshops, every element was rooted in the insights and creativity of the youth leaders themselves. The process culminated in a substantial United Nations advocacy document: the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book.

“The declaration and the sustainability book are not just slogans—they represent more than four months of preparation and intercontinental collaboration,” said Jack Huang in an interview. “This marks the first time that youth from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas have co-created an SDGs action blueprint that is both locally grounded and globally impactful.” He stressed that the real value of this achievement lies in its ability to integrate policy design, community needs, and sustainable practice—an intersection too often overlooked in global advocacy work.

Youth Leaders Are Not Supporting Roles — They Are the Backbone of the Future

In addition to his role as a consultant to the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT), Jack Huang also serves as Programme Director at the UNITAR Global SDGs Leadership Centre. He has long championed multilateral youth training, sustainable leadership, and diplomatic capacity building. He is also an ESG strategy advisor to several green energy and infrastructure enterprises across Southeast Asia, actively bridging industry, community, and public governance while linking environmental finance with grassroots innovation.

“Talking about policy or theory alone is never enough,” he told《The Icons》Bangkok team. “We need to help young people understand how global frameworks are applied in community innovation, investment strategies, and cross-sector collaboration. The design of this forum was meant to show them that they are not observers of the future—they are participants and drivers of change in the present.”

International Forums and Advocacy Should Not Remain Only on Paper

This forum broke away from the conventional format of international conferences that often remain on paper. Instead of passively listening to speeches, participants engaged directly with local communities—conducting interviews, assessing needs, and forming multinational teams to co-design solution prototypes. Each step, from data consolidation to community dialogue and final presentations, was guided through structured training and mentorship.

One of the most acclaimed highlights, according to Jack Huang, was the SDGs Strategic Simulation Workshop led by Dr. Martin Venzky-Stalling, Chair of the Sustainability Development Committee of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand (JFCCT). This immersive exercise gave youth a hands-on understanding of the pivotal role foreign-invested enterprises play in Thailand’s sustainable transformation. The interactive format received highly positive feedback and enthusiastic participation from the attending youth.

Turning Advocacy into Action: The Integrated Impact of Institutional Recognition and International Visibility

“When a young person can stand inside the United Nations headquarters and present their sustainability action plan—backed by research data and guided by expert mentors—that’s the moment when advocacy truly becomes action,” said Jack Huang. He emphasised that the most valuable aspect of this forum lies in its integration of fieldwork, international visibility, and institutional support, creating a genuinely empowered testing ground for youth leadership.

This youth-led, expert-guided hybrid model is set to continue expanding. Huang shared that the organisers plan to hold regional follow-up forums in both Taipei and Nairobi this July, followed by a special youth dialogue session during the UN General Assembly in New York this September. By the end of the year, the movement will culminate at COP30 in Brazil, with a youth-led showcase of climate solutions from Global South nations—officially bringing this youth-driven sustainability wave onto the global stage.

“We need more of these spaces,” Huang concluded, “and more governments, companies, and institutions genuinely willing to stand behind young people.”

“The future is already here—it’s just a matter of deciding who we want to build it with.”

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The week-long 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum was not just a summit of idealism—it was a demonstration of concrete action. At the heart of this movement was Jay Wei, Chairman of the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation, the principal organiser of the event. Key partners also included the STUF United Fund, Asia Pacific Center.

Jay Wei has long been devoted to international education and the development of youth leadership. He firmly believes, “The competitiveness of the future lies not in competition, but in collaboration. The foundation of co-creation is trust—and the seed of trust is planted when someone chooses altruism first.” In an interview with《The Icons》Bangkok team, his words were calm yet resolute, revealing not only the patience of an educator, but also the unwavering determination of a changemaker.

A key supporter in bringing the forum to life was the STUF United Fund, Asia Pacific Center, which sponsored youth representatives from countries including Haiti, Saint Vincent, and Paraguay. Chairperson Peter Lin remarked in his opening speech that uniting youth leaders from different regions is essential for driving the world more effectively toward sustainability. “Sustainability should never be just a slogan. Enterprises with social responsibility must actively support young leaders in participating in international forums and related initiatives.”

Using Education to Cross Borders and Empower Youth as True Agents of Change

As the initiator of this United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) forum series, Jay Wei is more than an event organiser—he is a weaver of meaning and purpose. Since 2023, he has led delegations of youth, academic, and industry representatives to international platforms such as COP28 in Dubai, where he helped amplify the voices of young people within global climate conversations. In 2024, he brought this mission to Okinawa, Japan, convening youth from multiple nations to co-author the 2024 Okinawa Youth Sustainability Declaration, which was later presented at COP29.

The 2025 UN-SDGs Bootcamp & Forum in Bangkok marked a pivotal milestone in this ongoing journey. Not only did Jay Wei gather youth leaders from 30 countries for deep intercultural exchange, but he also led them in formally presenting the 2025 Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration and the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book at the UN Asia-Pacific headquarters.

“We made sure young people were not just participants, but designers; not just listeners, but voices. This kind of engagement is a truly powerful way to change the future,” he said.

Jay Wei: Global Advocacy Must Be Rooted in Altruism

“As long as we are dealing with global sustainability, it must be co-created. And co-creation is never just a slogan—it requires space, structure, and above all, the courage to trust first,” Jay Wei told《The Icons》Bangkok team. For him, engaging in international advocacy means being the first to give, to share selflessly, so that participants from different cultures and systems can begin to collaborate in an open and secure environment.

It is precisely this philosophy that enabled the forum to bring together youth from five continents, allowing them to transcend language and national boundaries and co-create meaningful policy recommendations and action plans in a short amount of time. Jay Wei firmly believes that when trust becomes the foundation, a strong and lasting international youth network can be built—this belief remains his greatest motivation for continuing the work.

Don’t Get Too Used to Telling Youth What They Should Do

Michal Andrzej Glasek, a strategy and development advisor from Poland who also took part in the forum, shared his thoughts in an interview with《The Icons》: “We’ve become too accustomed to telling young people what they should do, and often overlook the fact that they already possess tremendous creativity and problem-solving potential.”

Glasek explained that he wasn’t originally from an education background, but his experience at the 2024 youth forum in Okinawa deeply inspired him. “A profound conversation with Japanese students changed my perspective. It made me reflect on how business leaders can respond to the call of our times—not only by creating value, but by becoming enablers who amplify the impact of others,” he said.

The defining keyword of the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book: Trust

Kimanzi Margaret Wanjiru, one of the lead editors of the 2025 Bangkok Sustainability Book and a youth representative from Kenya, shared candidly in an interview with《The Icons》 that when the team was first tasked with writing the “Sustainability Book,” they were overwhelmed and unsure.

“None of us had ever written a book. We didn’t even know what a real ‘solution’ looked like,” she said. But it was precisely this uncertainty that made the process so genuine and moving.

“Every time we gathered to discuss, teammates from different countries brought in different perspectives. We inspired each other, challenged each other, and even redefined what counts as a problem—and what counts as action. In the end, we learned that real impact doesn’t come from massive resources, but from honest connection and the belief that we can create change.”

“If you ask me what the most important word is,” Kimanzi said,

“It’s trust.”

The ASEAN Sustainability Impact Accelerator: Guiding More Global Youth Leaders into the International Innovation Ecosystem

This year’s forum also planted the seeds for the next stage of development—Southeast Bangkok University will partner with the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation to establish the SDGs Impact Accelerator, a platform designed to support innovation and incubation for young leaders across ASEAN and neighbouring countries.

In an interview with《The Icons》Bangkok team, Dr. Pattarada Rungruang, Vice President of Southeast Bangkok University, shared: “From early childhood education to doctoral programs, we offer a comprehensive system, along with the capacity to connect youth communities across Southeast Asia—including Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Through our research centres and innovation-focused curriculum, we will work alongside the Chinese Youth Growth Foundation to support new-generation leaders who have ideas but lack opportunities. Our goal is to bring more young people into the global innovation ecosystem and turn regional-to-global collaboration into real momentum.”

A Continuous Journey: From the Arab World, Japan, Thailand, and New York to Brazil

Jay Wei firmly believes that the ultimate mission of education is to cultivate citizens who can co-create, not individuals who simply compete. “Gen Z is not a future possibility—they are the answer for now. They must be able to challenge the status quo, but more importantly, to take action,” he says.

Since leading a group of international youth leaders to participate in COP28 in Dubai, Jay Wei has envisioned a new model for international education—one that blends forums, real-world missions, and cross-cultural dialogue. In this model, students are no longer passive recipients of knowledge in classrooms; they are active participants on the ground, engaging with global issues, joining policy discussions, and even offering their own solutions. From Dubai to Okinawa to Bangkok, he has steadily transformed this vision into a global movement. The next stop: Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Jack Huang, Advisor to the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology and Youth Impact Chair of the forum, noted, “The successful execution of this forum in Bangkok proves how youth can generate tangible impact through creativity and collaboration. I believe this will inspire more young leaders who care about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to build connections with international organisations, as well as public and private sectors, and amplify their voices.”

Harry Hsu, CEO of《The Icons》, who was invited as a keynote speaker, added, “The value of this forum lies not only in giving young leaders a chance to be heard, but in showing them that their voices truly matter to the world. When a young leader realises that their words can influence decisions and shift the flow of resources, that awareness transforms into responsibility, maturity, and action. True international engagement isn’t just about entering the conference room—it’s about being remembered for what you said.”

When the World Needs Rebuilding, Education Must Be Redefined

“In July 2025, our team will return to Nairobi, Kenya to host the next UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Bootcamp and a 30-nation youth forum,” Jay Wei announced. “We’re inviting over 50 youth representatives from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and we plan to present the 2025 Nairobi Youth Sustainability Declaration and the 2025 Nairobi Sustainability Book at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme. This effort aims to expand the global impact of our co-creation movement.”

“When the world needs rebuilding, education must be redefined.”

Jay Wei is not one for slogans—he believes in steady, grounded work. For him, education is not a campaign; it’s a long-term commitment to action. Rather than waiting for the world to change, he walks ahead into uncertainty, quietly gathering like-minded allies to light the way.

“We can’t afford to wait for change—we must actively create it. I believe that empowering youth to become bridges between worlds is deeply meaningful. It sparks new possibilities and makes global transformation truly achievable.”

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The post 30 Youth Nations Unite in Bangkok to Present the Bangkok Youth Sustainability Declaration UN SDG Forum Initiator Jay Wei: When the World Needs Rebuilding, Education Must Be Redefined first appeared on The Icons.