I am pleased to greet all participants in the Taizé Community’s Annual Meeting for Young Adults. 

The global landscape continues to be scarred by conflict, exploitation, hatred, and needless deaths from poverty and disease.  Nearly 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes – more than at any time since the Second World War.

Yet recent months have also brought rays of hope at a time of crisis.  The newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Paris Agreement on Climate Change are great successes for people and the planet, and point the world in a promising new direction. 

I also take heart from recent adoption by the United Nations Security Council of resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security.  This is the first resolution to focus solely on the role of young people in peacebuilding and countering violent extremism.  Like the Council’s historic resolution 1325 on women, peace and security adopted 15 years ago, this new text opens new opportunities for tapping the great power of youth in building sustainable peace and preserving international security.

Thank you for coming together to usher in the New Year.  I will count on you to help advance our shared goals of peace, development and human rights, and to make 2016 a great success in building a future of dignity for all.  Please accept my best wishes for a meaningful gathering.