Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York,
18 November 2021
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Thank you for the opportunity to join this meeting of the Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs.
Having based my Presidency on the theme of Hope, I can think of no better constituency, nor inspiration, than our children.
As world leaders work to deliver on the 2030 promise, children around the globe are standing up to secure their right to good health, quality education, a clean planet and more.
The SDGs cannot be achieved without the realization of child rights.
Excellencies,
Despite near-universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, millions of children around the world continue to be left behind and their rights denied.
Children also suffer the impacts of poverty, violence, inequality and exclusion disproportionately, due to their sensitive phase of life and development.
Poverty denies children their fundamental rights to nutrition, health, water, education, protection, shelter and more – diminishing their ability to build a better future for themselves and generations to come.
Improving access to education and the quality of learning has not been even across the world.
Making sure that all children can go to school and learn is instrumental to fight poverty, prevent disease and build more resilient and peaceful societies.
Today’s global youth unemployment rate is 13 per cent – three times higher than the adult rate.
Without urgent investment in education and skills training, the rapidly growing population of young people will be largely unprepared for the workforce.
Today, for the first time, a global generation of children will grow up in a world made far more dangerous and uncertain by the changing climate and a degraded environment.
Effective responses to climate change are imperative to protect the world’s children and fulfil their rights.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Whether discussing COVID, or the impacts of climate change, or human rights in areas of conflict, the safety and security of our children must be paramount.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown or confinement measures has had a grave physical, emotional and psychological effect on children, especially those in situations of vulnerability.
Beyond safety and security, we must work together to address the issues that have arisen due to the pandemic: school closures; mental health impacts; increased poverty and insecurity due to livelihood and job losses.
We have a moral obligation to respond to these offshoots of the pandemic. They cannot be forgotten.
Likewise, we must use the opportunity afforded by the pandemic to invest in social infrastructure, health, education, nutrition and ensuring access to sanitation and hygiene.
Dear Friends,
Too much has been lost. Yet, there is so much to gain if we rebuild accordingly.
We can turn the lost decade of action on the SDGs into a decade of sustainable recovery, one that covers the gaps, builds resilience, protects those in need, and empowers and protects our children.
Progress can be accelerated by prioritizing children’s rights in action plans on the SDGs, as a child rights-based approach multiplies future development gains.
I look forward to working with you to making this a success.
I thank you.
Throughout our disarmament efforts, it is my conviction that women and youth can make a meaningful contribution. Let us take special pains to ensure that women and youth, as well as civil society, are more actively engaged in this work going forward.
