Young people are crucial to the success of next week’s World Summit on Sustainable Development, according to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Nitin Desai, Secretary-General of the Summit.
At least forty countries will include youth representatives in their delegations. Youth groups have already been involved in the preparations for the Summit, Mr. Desai noted, and have held extensive preparations of their own. He further called on the representatives to “come to Johannesburg and make a difference”, saying that youth could play an especially big role at the local level - the cutting edge of sustainable development - where largely abstract policy formulations are boiled down to the point where people are forced to take certain decisions.
In a message marking International Youth Day 2002 on 12 August, Mr. Annan said: “The notion of intergenerational solidarity is central to sustainable development. As the saying tells us -- we have not inherited the earth from our parents, we simply borrow it from our children.”
Mr. Annan noted that although Governments were responsible for ensuring that international commitments on the issue were translated into action, they must rely on young generations to participate in this effort. “I call on all of us to make the best possible use of young people’s imagination, energy and indomitable spirit in the cause of sustaining the future for succeeding generations”, he said.
Echoing this view, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, said that youth should continue to campaign for peace and the respect of human rights, while demanding action on poverty, education, food, adequate housing and a safe environment. “I would like to encourage young people to continue their inspirational efforts,” she said. “To campaign now for human rights and equality for all is to lay the groundwork for sustainable development for all, development that will not compromise the needs, dreams and possibilities of future generations.”
International Youth Day has been commemorated worldwide since 1999, after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution designating the date to promote a better awareness of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond. This year’s theme was “Now and for the Future: Youth Action for Sustainable Development”. Youth, defined by the United Nations as the age group between 15 and 24 years old, make up one sixth of the world’s population.
