– As Prepared-

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly

25 April 2019

Your Excellency, Timo Soini, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland,

Your Excellency, Kai Sauer, Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations,

Your Excellency, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations,

Excellencies,

Mr Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support,

Ms Teresa Whitfield, Director, Policy and Mediation Division, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning,

It is a pleasure to be here at the Finnish mission. The Symposium in Helsinki was very productive, so it’s great to have the opportunity to discuss next steps today.

I’m also very grateful to the Permanent Representatives of Finland and Turkey for their stewardship of this important Group of Friends, and to Kai for hosting us.

The Helsinki Symposium was a wonderful example of the type of partnerships we must build on the ground – bringing together governments, UN, civil society, regional organizations and youth networks.

Youth, peace and security has been one of my priorities for this session of the General Assembly – and the young peacebuilders I met in Helsinki were walking case studies of why this issue is so important. They made a lasting impression on me.

I recalled their words during the recent informal interactive dialogue of the General Assembly and Peacebuilding Commission; during the ECOSOC Youth Forum dialogue on youth, peace and security; and during an IPI event I co-sponsored on “young people as drivers for peace”.

During these discussions, there were four recurring themes that I would like to set out briefly to inform our discussion this morning.

First, one of the central messages of the “Missing Peace” report: that many policy-makers still see young people as a problem to be solved. We know that youth play a crucial role in conflict and post-conflict settings. That was well documented in the report.

We also know that societies with greater youth participation – political and economic – experience less violence in general. The World Bank’s Pathways for Peace report cited some good studies on this. How can we make better use of the evidence – and compelling stories from the field – to change this narrative?

Second, the issue I framed as the “Martti Ahtisaari challenge” at the Symposium: what happens when the Ahtisaaris of this world are not available? How can we nurture young peacebuilders so that they are empowered to act now – and so we can strengthen and diversify the “pipeline” of mediators for the future?

Third, what more can we do to ensure that young people are fully included in civic, political and economic activities?

Young people are under-represented in decision-making. Less than six percent of Parliamentarians worldwide are under 35. But they are over-represented among the unemployed and underemployed. Of the world’s 300 million working poor, half are young. We will struggle to include youth in conflict situations, if we have not put in place the structures, policies, funding and mindsets to include them during peace time.

The Helsinki Symposium was a wonderful example of the type of partnerships we must build on the ground – bringing together governments, UN, civil society, regional organizations and youth networks.

María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés

President of the UN General Assembly

And finally, implementation. Having followed the trajectory of Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security – which is nearly two decades old now – one major concern for the youth, peace and security agenda is: how can we ensure that commitments are translated into change on the ground?

The outcomes of the Helsinki Symposium are important to all four areas. The Compendium of Good Practices will support communications and story-telling. The policy paper will help make the case for greater youth participation. And the networks and partnerships formed can serve as a resource for young people, and a powerful movement for implementation.

So I look forward to our discussions today, and to continuing to work with you all on this important agenda.

Thank you.