Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
12 August 2022
Dear faculty members,
Distinguished students of Nazarbayev University,
Thank you for inviting me to speak and for the opportunity to visit Kazakhstan’s premier university. I am honored to be here and meet with the young and aspiring leaders, who will one day take charge of this beautiful country’s destiny.
My friends,
Throughout my Presidency of Hope, I have always reiterated the importance of giving platforms to the youth and raising their profiles.
My goals have always been to amplify their voices and to inspire young people to actively participate in global multilateralism. To ensure that young people have a say in the decisions that affect their future, and also their present.
I have found this approach to be rewarding. Often, I am the one who ends up being inspired by youth. Through your heartwarming stories of courage and determination in the face of adversity. Through your passion and commitment to solving pressing issues – from climate change, to conflict, to poverty. Through your refusal to give into cynicism or shirk from challenges. Through your hope for a better tomorrow!
It is that youthful drive and energy that the world needs today.
Many of you already know this. As we face a full-fledged planetary crisis, and while countries tend to lock themselves into unreasonable positions during negotiate, it is the young that are stepping up through their activism.
It is young people that kept the 1.5-degree goal alive. It is young people who refuse our excuses when we, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, delay and dither on taking action to curb emissions and protect the environment.
It is often young people who hold us accountable when we fall short on any issue, whether it be conservation, peace, or human rights.
My friends,
It is highly befitting that today’s meeting coincides with International Youth Day, with its important of theme of “intergenerational solidarity: creating a world for all ages”.
The United Nations has a responsibility to make that world manifest. We must work to create a world that benefits old and young alike.
There is no denying the burdens of today’s challenges will one day fall on you, the young. We owe it to you to not only to work quickly and effectively to resolve the challenges we confront, but also equip you with the knowledge and skills that you will need to one day take on our responsibilities.
We owe it to you also, to listen to you in shaping the world you will inherit.
And we cannot forget, our present is your present. The challenges we confront today directly affect your lives at this very moment.
I note that Kazakhstan has always been a strong and active partner in the work of the United Nations and in multilateralism. Over the past years, Kazakhstan has undertaken several initiatives aimed at strengthening the work of multilateralism, evident in the wide-ranging scope of its global outreach and involvement.
These initiatives help foster global peace and dialogue and contributes to our attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is my sincere hope that Kazakhstan’s younger generation stands ready to carry that important work forward.
My friends,
I am honored that my Presidency coincided with important milestones at the UN on the agenda for youth. This includes
launching consultations and negotiations on the establishment of the UN Youth Office, to promote more meaningful, diverse, and effective youth engagement in United Nations as proposed in “Our Common Agenda” report by the Secretary-General outlining the future of the UN.
I am a firm believer that by involving young women and men in the work of global multilateralism, we can lay a stronger foundation for an inclusive, relevant, and sustainable future. That is why I have made it a point to meet with young people, during my travels abroad and while in New York.
I also initiated a PGA youth fellowship programme to support and welcomed 8 promising young diplomats from under-represented countries at the UN, to work in my office, to broaden their knowledge of the workings of the multilateral system.
To further advance the role of youth in multilateralism, I launched the “Voices of Youth – Time Capsule”, which seeks to provide an additional opportunity to bring youth voices into our work at the UN and showcase their hopes and aspirations for the future they want.
I thank the Government of Kazakhstan for its contribution towards my initiative with video clip messages from young people of Kazakhstan on their vision for a world of peace, security, love and one free of all forms of discrimination.
Young people are not only the future but are the present as well. You are well informed of the future you want and of the actions to take. It is our responsibility to provide you with all the tools necessary to succeed.
My friends,
My final message to you is the same I have shared with every young person I have met across the globe: stay involved; stay engaged.
Youth involvement is critical to the continued success of multilateralism.
I believe I have done my part in this conversation. It is now my turn to listen to your views and concerns.
Once again, thank you for your time and for this wonderful opportunity to engage.
Whatever world we shape, we leave in the hands of the next generation. We believe in you and are counting on you. I sincerely wish you all the best of luck in your studies and I look forward to our conversations.
