Women and young people demand to be heard in finalising the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 targets.

That’s according to Dutch based NGO Building Bridges following a campaign that has seen two of its members travel 17‚000km by bicycle from Amsterdam to Cape Town.

Building Bridges board members Jilt van Schayik and Teun Meulepas arrived in Cape Town on Saturday having traveled for over 170 days‚ across two continents and interacting with hundreds of women and young people in over 20 countries during the arduous journey.

According to Building Bridges‚ their mission is to picture the post-Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2015 agenda through a perspective that focuses on the priorities of young people and women on the ground‚ and their vision of the world in 2030.

Speaking on their arrival in Cape Town‚ a tired but cheerful Meulepas says their strategy and trip is about transcending the gap between policy makers and people on the ground.

“Our journey is not about two Dutch guys on bicycles but rather about the young African men and women we have met and interacted with along the way. For too long we have had leaders‚ and men in particular‚ decide on programmes without consulting with their intended recipients. This journey has been about how to connect these people in order to elevate their voices‚ so that they can be heard in the hallways and rooms of bodies such as the United Nations (UN).”

Van Schayik highlights that as the final phase of the SDG 2030 agenda is shaped at the UN‚ once again non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society are not included in deciding on final targets.

“We refuse to accept that this is the way towards a credible and achievable sustainable development. We believe that young people‚ who make up more than a quarter of the world’s population and women‚ should be at the centre of such an agenda. It is this contrast and inequality that makes us wonder how these goals relate to the reality on the ground. How does the SDG agenda reflect the actual priorities of young people on the ground? And how do those young people see the world in 2030 for themselves?”

The team has through their journey interacted with young people in countries including Morocco‚ Mauritania‚ Senegal‚ Ivory Coast‚ Benin‚ Togo and Namibia. Issues raised by young people in most countries include concerns around decent jobs‚ quality healthcare and access to education.

Speaking on the campaign in South Africa‚ local Building Bridges ambassador Samantha Ndiwalana says young people in Cape Town will also have their voices heard.

 “The conclusion of this journey on the eve of South Africa’s Women’s Day allows for us to not only be part of celebrating this day‚ but also affords us an opportunity to draw from the month of August to bring more attention to the unheard voices in this critical discussion. Young people and women‚ whether they be in Abidjan‚ Accra or Khayelitsha are best suited to say what they need and it is the responsibility of their representatives in the UN to listen.”