Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

9 May 2022

 

Dear friends,

It is an honor for me to participate in the Youth Forum. I very much appreciate the theme, “Land: a job for tomorrow”, which is an interesting play on words. 

As young people, your minds are of course ever on the future and on your careers. I understand this all too well. 

At the same time, your being here is indicative of your passion for this area of work and your commitment to preserving the land we call home.

I commend the UN Convention to Combat Desertification for facilitating this platform.

Dear friends,

I would also like to commend each of you. In a time of such great uncertainty – a global pandemic, conflict, and climate change – you have elected to engage and to proactively seek out opportunities for change. I understand your eagerness and your rightful impatience, and I applaud your conviction. 

We need this conviction now.

Nearly 160 million children live in areas where the intensity of the drought is high or extremely high. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the impacts of climate change will only increase the frequency of extreme weather events.

This has deep implications for young people, who are often uniquely affected by land degradation. Worsening drought situation in many parts of the worldwill have an adverse effect on everything from food production and agriculture, to education and healthcare, to jobs and economic growth. 

Yet, I remain hopeful. I am a firm believer in the ingenuity of humanity, and we see this in the incredible innovations that continue to change our world. I believe that, when faced with extreme pressure, we have the capacity to find and develop solutions.

We need only look at the pace of innovation in renewable energies, or the rapid development of multiple, viable vaccines for COVID-19 to see what humanity is capable of.

With that in mind, and aligning with your theme, I see a future where innovative approaches to land preservation is a source of new jobs and economic growth. 

Much like the companies that are springing up to address plastic pollution in the ocean, turning this discard into usable products – everything from running shoes to sunglasses – there is a new market for areas that help to conserve and protect the land. 

It is your generation that will help identify these solutions; it is your generation that will take these next steps.

For myself and for our current policymakers, our role is to open every door and every avenue to you. We must ensure that we put in place the measures to facilitate this innovation and to create a space for change.

This requires us to listen to you now, not wait until you are older, and to take steps to ensure that every policy, every implementing mechanism, is influenced by the inputs of young people.

As President of the General Assembly, I have made it my commitment to visit schools and universities, and to speak to students and young people at every opportunity. I want to hear from you what we can do. 

On that note. I am all ears… and I thank you.