New York – March 5, 2015

Excellencies,
Your Eminence, Cardinal Oscar Rodriquez Maradiaga,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,

I am pleased to join you today to deliver this statement on behalf of H.E. Sam Kutesa, President of the General Assembly.

For more than 25 years, the Salesian Mission has been conducting its good work throughout my country of Uganda. The presence and impact of the Salesian in my country – where there are four programmes committed to improving the well-being of children and families, is a good reflection of the international presence and outreach of the Salesians of Don Bosco congregation around the world.

The global efforts of the Salesian Mission to support and empower young people are commendable. In Uganda for example, the Don Bosco Children and Life Mission located just outside Kampala provides primary, secondary and technical education to more than 200 boys between the ages of 8 and 17.

The Mission also provides guidance counselling and life skills training to the students. Sports and music clubs run by the Mission have also offered excellent extra-curricular opportunities for young people, providing them with enriching experiences beyond traditional classroom environments.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The work of the Salesian Mission around the world is especially relevant as we consider the role of children and youth in our future development efforts.

As you know, this year the international community is formulating an inclusive and transformative post-2015 development agenda to be adopted at the Summit of Heads of State and Government in September 2015. The contributions of youth will be vital to the achievement of sustainable development and therefore efforts should be made to provide them with opportunities to do.

The post-2015 development agenda must ensure more opportunities for young people. It must also address the growing phenomenon of youth unemployment. This is of particular concern in developing countries with a large concentration of youth, many of whom face formidable barriers to education, training, decent work and acceptable living conditions.

In this context, I will convene a High-level event on “The Demographic Dividend and Youth Employment” in June this year. The event will focus on the investments needed to reap the demographic dividend, including through employment opportunities and decent work for young people.

The presence here today of Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga and his remarkable journey epitomises his important work and the impact that the Salesians of Don Bosco have had on the education as a transformative factor in the lives of so many young people worldwide.

As we look to the future, there is growing recognition that youth must have a seat at the table if we are to achieve our development objectives.

I applaud the Salesian Mission for its important work and thank you all for your kind attention.