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

29 July 2022

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished Delegates,

Future Leaders of the World,

 

Thank you all for being here today and for demonstrating so much enthusiasm towards deepening your knowledge of the multilateral system.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Italian Diplomatic Academy, the Model United Nations, and the World Council for Youth and Diplomacy, for organizing this conference.

 

Dear friends,

 

The UN was founded to prevent the scourge of war and to promote peace, with the core purpose of passing this torch on from generation to generation.

 

There are today 1.8 billion young people around the globe – the largest youth population in human history.

 

These youths are our future, but they are, first and foremost, our present.

 

It is therefore paramount to the UN’s mission that we ensure their meaningful engagement in our multilateral system, by prioritizing their full participation and recognizing their integral role in decision-making.

 

Commitment to engage meaningfully with young people and to bring youth voices, experiences and ideas to global debates, building the open exchanges and collaboration that we need for positive change today has been clearly brought out by the UN Secretary General in his “Our Common Agenda” report.

 

Friends,

 

By involving young women and men in global multilateralism, I believe we can lay the foundations for a more inclusive and sustainable future. A future that will enable us to bridge the digital divide, to achieve the SDGs, and to overcome climate change.

 

As I have emphasized throughout my term as President, by virtue of their age, energy, activism, and learning abilities, young people are key agents of change.

 

Young people have brought to light the value of global solidarity and mobilization across borders to drive change for more inclusive and sustainable societies.

 

They have consistently demonstrated their capacity to advocate for themselves and their communities, and to thereby address many of the challenges we face.

 

They are playing an increasingly important role in designing, co-producing knowledge, providing solutions and raising awareness for climate action.

 

For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that we put young people front and center, and ensure they feel ownership over the multilateral system.

 

This includes the United Nations, which is at the heart of  international cooperation.

 

My dear friends,

 

I am very proud to have launched and successfully implemented the Fellowship of HOPE. Through this programme, eight young diplomats from underrepresented countries have joined my office, giving them the opportunity to become better acquainted with the work of the UN, a program consonant with the Model UN’s work.

 

I am also pleased to have organized the High-level Debate on “Enhancing youth mainstreaming in crime prevention policies” which addressed the importance of engaging young people proactively to prevent crime.

 

Most recently, I have launched the “Voices of Youth – Time Capsule”, a novel occasion to center youth voices in our work and showcase their hopes and aspirations for their future.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

From climate change to pandemics, the world our youth are inheriting suffers from many interlocking challenges which disproportionately affect those most vulnerable.

 

From your communities all the way up to the United Nations, young people must be involved in the decisions that will shape their destinies and futures.

 

Spotlighting youth perspectives on global issues and identifying new ways of engaging young people in decision-making requires not only tangible commitments by governments but a complete reorientation of the functioning of the multilateral system.

 

We must amplify voices that are all too often marginalized.

 

This is why your participation in this conference is so important.

 

Over the next few days, you will be provided with the skills necessary to deliver the substantive change this world so desperately needs.

 

I have no doubt that you are up to the challenge.

 

We believe in you and are counting on you.

 

I thank you again and I wish you nothing but success.