Dear young friends, excellencies, colleagues,
We have reached the end of the 2024 ECOSOC Youth Forum.
Thank you to all young people, Member States and other partners for taking the time to discuss solutions to the challenges we face today and for giving a voice to generations that will come after us.
Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many young people who were committed to improving their community and country.
Young people devoted to making our world a better place, a more inclusive, peaceful, sustainable and fair place. Much like those of you gathered here today.
Young people building bridges across identities, communities and generations.
Young people who speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.
Young people showing up, contributing their skills, expertise, ideas and energy to solve the pressing challenges we are facing today so that future generations are better off.
Young people – young experts - need to be engaged in all the challenges that humanity faces today. We must not limit their contributions, for they have much to offer.
We have witnessed how youth can mobilize global action. This has the potential to energize policy discussions, including the intergovernmental processes that happen in this very building.
Unfortunately, young people are underrepresented in institutional political processes. This is the result of low rates of electoral activity, political participation, and parliamentary involvement.
For instance, half of the world’s population is under 30 years old, yet as little as 2.6 per cent of national parliamentarians are under 30.
The participation of young people in the formal political process is crucial.
We in UN DESA, and the broader UN system partners will continue working hand-in-hand with Member States to ensure young people are included in multilateral discussions.
The level of official youth representation at this ECOSOC Youth Forum is encouraging. 92 Youth Delegates formed part of their national delegations. This is a new record-setting.
We hope to welcome even more Youth Delegates at 79th session of the UN General Assembly and at the Summit of the Future which will also take place in September.
We stand ready to partner with Member States and their Youth Delegates to ensure that today’s youth have the opportunity to use their expertise to build the world envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
On that note, I would like to express my profound gratitude to everyone involved in organizing this Youth Forum, including our partners from the Major Group on Children and Youth, the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations, the United Nations Youth Office, and the UN entities that make up the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth. Allow me to end with special thanks to the teams in the DESA Youth Programme and our Office of Intergovernmental Support for coordinating this joint effort, under the leadership of the President of ECOSOC.
Dear colleagues,
Looking forward to welcoming you all again soon!
Thank you!