Statement by H.E. Mr Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th session of the General Assembly at Model UN for the United Nations
26 August 2016
Excellences, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure to participate in this closing ceremony of the Model UN Youth Assembly, here in the home of the UN General Assembly.
It’s amazing to think that almost 12 months ago, leaders from all 193 UN member states were seated where you are seated today.
They came here to unite around a revolutionary plan to transform our world for the better.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the case for transformation has grown even stronger; the need for action even more urgent.
With the largest youth population ever of 1.2 billion, youth are often in the front line of the world’s challenges.
Some 65million adolescents – 1 out of 6 – are not in school.
More than 2.6 million young people die each year in the world, mostly due to preventable causes.
90% of all casualties in direct conflicts occur among young adult males.
Some 50% of the 1.4 billion people living in countries impacted by crises and fragility are under the age of 20.
And over 73 million young people are unemployed globally, with young women more likely to be underemployed and under-paid.
As you are the ones faced with these challenges in your daily life, you are also best placed to address them.
Governments need your support and encouragement; your energy, your ideas and your commitment.
The 2030 Agenda, buttressed by the Paris Climate Agreement, provides you with a plan to change our world.
It is the single greatest framework we have to strike out for a better future – to deliver globalization that benefits all people; to transition to economies that are low-carbon and climate resilient; and to foster societies that guarantee peace, gender equality, justice and freedom for all.
The adoption last December of Security Council Resolution 2250 can complement the SDG framework.
Too often young people are seen as being part of the problem when it comes to conflict, but this resolution recognizes that in both conflict prevention and conflict resolution, young people can and must be part of the solution.
I therefore congratulate you on your work here the last few days.
And I encourage you all to implement your actions plans; to help your communities; and to make your contribution to providing a more peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future for all.
Thank you.