World Youth Skills Day: Youth Skills for Sustainability and Innovation
– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, at World Youth Skills Day: Youth Skills for Sustainability and Innovation
Thank you very much and good afternoon everyone; welcome to the United Nations!
I must say that this audience today looks a bit different to the one we usual see, in here.
But I am really happy to have you all with us today – and to see so many young people and young faces in the room.
Honestly, I get a bit uncomfortable speaking about what we call “youth issues”.
I don’t think I have any right to stand up here, and speak on things that you all know and understand much better than I do.
Actually, it should be people like you speaking, and people like me listening
So, today, I will limit myself to talking about some trends and challenges. And I will put forward some ideas for the future – all of which have come directly from the young people I have met along the way during my mandate as President of the General Assembly.
And in doing so, I will make three main points.
Well, first I want to admit that many you face challenges that my generation did not have to worry about.
Almost 80 million young people, across the world, are out of work.
Young people are now three times more likely to be unemployed than adults.
And that doesn’t cover those who do have jobs, but still live in poverty. And in fact, young people are 6% more likely to be poor, even when working, than their adult counterparts.
Another challenge lies in education.
It is tempting to think that we’ve won that battle, because more and more children are in school.
But if we look past the numbers, to the quality, things don’t look so great.
Often, education is outdated – and of poor quality. It does not always respond to the trends in the world outside the classroom. This can leave children and young people without the tools they need for the life ahead.
Also, third-level education is still out of reach for many. While some young people worry about passing or failing their college exams, others worry about ever getting the chance to do either.
And crippling student loans come with a burden that is far too heavy for young shoulders to carry. Yet many people like you are trying to, anyway.
Moreover, inequality and discrimination are still major hurdles.
We all seem to be talking about diversity. On our Facebook feeds… at major conferences…in our hashtags. But are we seeing it, on the ground?
Can we honestly say that every young woman has the same chances and opportunities as her male peer?
Or that the same doors will be open to everyone – no matter their race, religion, background or sexual orientation?
If we can, we are, I’m afraid, either blind or lying.
I held a Youth Dialogue in May, and I heard from a young woman from Jamaica – her name is Shamoy Hajare.
She went to school. She got good grades. And she spent a lot of time applying for jobs. Yet she could not find any employment to fit her needs and qualifications.
Shamoy turned lemons into lemonade and started her own School for Social Enterprise.
But this is one, exceptional success story.
We cannot rely on young people to create their own opportunities, when systems have failed them.
So, these are major challenges.
Now, as my second point, I want to look at how they are set to grow – unless we act.
Just look at the trends around population growth.
Our demands for water, food, energy and living space are already pushing the planet to the brink.
And they will only get worse, as the population grows (and you know that there will most likely be 10 billion people on the planet by 2050).
And we don’t always make the link between the planet, and things like jobs and salaries. But this link is there. We have heard about that, from people on the ground.
Such as a young man, who thought he would inherit a family farm, but ended up left with nothing but dead, desert land. Or a young woman who was forced to flee her home because of floods, and had to forfeit her school year.
And, whole sectors – from tourism to trade – could suffer, if climate change continues.
Another example is Artificial Intelligence.
Whatever you think about Artificial Intelligence, it is not hard to see why there are some concerns.
There might even be a temptation to ask: with so many people already out of work, what chance will we have, when we have to compete with robots?
And let’s face it: robots are stiff competition.
They can work 50 times as fast as us. They don’t get stuck in traffic jams, on their way to work. They don’t need sick days. They don’t ask for raises!
So, things could, indeed, go further downhill, if we don’t act.
But I believe there are far more opportunities than challenges ahead.
So, as my third main point, I will give you my own, humble view on how we can harness these opportunities.
First: We must do more to include young people in the making and implementing of policies.
That is true, here, at the United Nations.
Three years ago, world leaders signed up to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Together, they were one of the most ambitious promises ever made to humanity.
And, if we want to achieve them, we need to do more to include young people.
But this must also happen, across the board – from issues of peace to economics.
And it must happen, across the world: in rooms like this…. in government buildings…in parliaments…at major international conferences. More young voices should be heard in all these spaces!
Second: We need to seriously invest in skills and education
We need to raise the bar.
We need to go beyond the numbers – and look at the kind of education and skills that young people need.
We are past the point where traditional subjects, like maths, history or science, are enough, on their own.
And this was a message I heard loud and clear, at the Youth Dialogue I held in May
Young people, today, want more.
They called for training on the growth of green economy and technology.
They advocated new kinds of activities, to build tolerance and resilience to violent extremism.
They demanded tools for critical thinking, entrepreneurship, and adaptability.
And we need to start listening to them.
According to one estimate, 65% of children entering primary school now will end up working in jobs that don’t yet exist.
We can’t predict the future. But we can do a lot more, to make sure young people can adapt to it – when it comes.
And third: While the biggest burden lies on the leaders, the donors, and the policy-makers, we also need you.
You are living the realities.
You are experiencing the challenges on a daily basis.
You have the ideas and solutions, to solve them.
And you have more tools than any other generation in history to make your voices heard – and hold your leaders to account.
So, thank you for being here – to do just that.
Before I conclude, I want to point something out.
Some people decide to stand in rooms like this, warning about dangers… coming up with doomsday predictions…worrying about what is ahead.
But the young people I have met around the world are doing the opposite.
They are looking for opportunities.
They are coming up with solutions for the planet.
They are asking how we can leverage our human values – to ensure Artificial Intelligence makes our lives, not worse, but better.
They are finding ways to tap into investment, for social change.
In many cases, they are stepping into the gap left by leaders.
And, from what I can see, they are not scared of change.
Instead, they are embracing it.
And, now, it is time for the rest of us to follow.
I thank you for our attention.
