Indonesia's Youth Minister Erick Thohir Discusses Youth Jobs, Mental Health at UN and Signs Sports MoU with NYU

Indonesia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Erick Thohir, visited the United Nations headquarters in New York on 23 July 2026. Accompanied by Indonesia’s UN ambassador Umar Hadi, he met with UN Assistant Secretary‑General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier to discuss the two biggest challenges facing young people worldwide: lack of decent employment opportunities and rising mental‑health concerns. Thohir emphasized that Indonesia’s youth programmes must be targeted, relevant and capable of delivering measurable impact, aligning with President Prabowo’s vision for a resilient, character‑strong generation.

A few days earlier, on 21 July 2026, Thohir signed a Memorandum of Understanding with New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport. The agreement aims to create a world‑class sports ecosystem for Indonesia, enabling athlete scholarships, joint research, and the development of sports management education. Thohir framed sport as both a public‑health driver and an economic engine that can generate jobs, attract investment and boost national growth.