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13 June 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n Distinguished participants,<\/p>\n Dear students and youth representatives,<\/p>\n Ladies, and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n I thank ADA University for hosting this event and I express my gratitude to the rector of this university, His Excellency, Ambassador Hafiz Pashayev.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is my pleasure to be granted this opportunity to talk to students from ADA University and representatives of the Non-Aligned Movement Youth Network. I note that one of the members of my team here today, Mr Rovshan Safarov, is a proud graduate of ADA University.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most rewarding aspects of my conversations and interactions with youth is your hopefulness. You have not become jaded nor given into the cynicism permeating our world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You are hopeful\u202ffor the future. You believe strongly in the worth of multilateral institutions, and in the worth of the United Nations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And you care deeply about the major issues humanity now grapples with: climate change, human rights, economic-development, sustainability, peace and security, to name a few. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, this is to be expected. The condition of the world that you inherit, depends entirely on how well we deal with these issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Young people know that we have a responsibility to them. And young people also know they need to be prepared to one day shoulder the burdens of global responsibilities themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is in fact your optimism, your sense of responsibility that inspires me. That compels me to advocate for and try to instill those values in my peers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To be frank, we should be grateful that young people continue to hold steadfast in their optimism, despite challenging global circumstances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They are coming of age in a world marked by interconnected crises and uncertainty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In recent times, their lives have been upended by a global pandemic that has also dealt severe economic repercussions. Repercussions that will continue to reverberate throughout their working lives.<\/p>\n They are witness to, and sometimes directly touched by, conflicts across the globe; conflicts that have that left a tragic humanitarian toll and devastated entire societies. They have not closed their eyes to what is happening in Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, and Palestine, among other places.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nor can they ignore the condition of our planet. Raging wildfires, drought, floods, soil-erosion, irregular and extreme weather patterns\u2026 the list goes on.<\/p>\n With all this ongoing, I find it remarkable and appreciative that young people can hold on to their hope. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But we cannot take that hope for granted. We owe it to the young people of today, to meet their expectations for change. To understand that they seek a better world, with bolder leadership and a brighter future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,<\/p>\n Young people are not content to be passive, or for decisions to be made for them. They want to be involved in contributing to and shaping our world.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n It has always been my firm believe that the desire of young people to get involved should be accommodated. They have a right to have their voices heard and have a say in decisions that affect them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Further, I believe that we will benefit by their involvement. By their passion, eagerness, and sincerity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We need them now more than ever, not least because we need all hands-on deck.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The \u2018decade of action\u2019 we envisioned has turned into a \u2018decade of recovery\u2019 as we deal with the aftermath of a generational pandemic, as conflicts proliferate, and as the climate crisis we long feared has become manifest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n All of society \u2013 including the youth \u2013 must be mobilized so that we can correct course and reach a more promising baseline. So that we are once again positioned to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on schedule, while leaving no one behind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout my presidency, promoting youth participation has been at the core of all of my priorities. I have made known my views on the importance of youth-involvement, in my meetings with heads of state and government and with representatives of Member States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I make it a point to invite youth to High Level Events in the General Assembly and to always meet with them whenever I am on official travel abroad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is also why I launched a program entitled \u201cFellowship for HOPE\u201d, which brought to New York a small group of young diplomats and civil servants from underrepresented countries at the UN, particularly from LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, while also ensuring geographical representation and gender balance. I want to promote youth engagement in multilateralism and support the next generation of diplomats.<\/p>\n By involving young women and men in the work of global multilateralism, I believe we can lay stronger groundwork for an inclusive and sustainable future.<\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I am eager to hear your views today. My peers and I have spoken at length on our views regarding the state of our world and proposed our solutions. And we will continue to do so.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But we also have a responsibility to listen. To your concerns and perspectives. To your solutions and proposals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In that spirit, I look forward to a very productive and insightful discussion with all of you today.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Baku, Azerbaijan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Excellencies, colleagues,<\/p> I welcome you all to our second meeting and our first interaction following the resumed part of the session.<\/p> Before I begin, I would like to recognize the loss of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Ms. Gail Farngalo.<\/p> A Liberian national, Gail was my Team Leader for Human Rights and was active on gender during both the 75th<\/sup> and 76th<\/sup> sessions. She leaves behind a legacy of achievements and a groundswell of respect and affection from across the UN and diplomatic communities. Her presence is certainly felt here today.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> When I took on this Presidency of Hope, I pledged to make gender equality a priority area for the 76th<\/sup> session. I continue to look to the board for its wisdom and expertise, as I endeavour to fulfil that pledge.<\/p> In this regard, I have already benefited from the board\u2019s advice, from when we met on October 28th<\/sup> last year.<\/p> Acting on that advice, I committed to ensuring that all my five rays of hope, and all my major initiatives, are approached with a gender lens.<\/p> I made sure that the composition of my office is gender-balanced.<\/p> I have committed to participating only in panels that have equal gender representation.<\/p> Throughout my official interactions and travels, I have endeavoured to meet with women, including heads of states and governments, scientists, civil society representatives, and youth.<\/p> And I am proud to inform you that five young women have been recruited into the Fellowship for HOPE<\/em> that my office recently launched. The Fellowship as you are well aware is targeted at benefiting young diplomats from underrepresented countries, pursuing careers in diplomacy or public service.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> While recognizing that we have a long way to go in the battle for gender-equality, I am proud of what my team has been able to accomplish within the past few months.<\/p> Our work continues.<\/p> We will continue to raise our voices on issues disproportionately impacting women, such as domestic violence and work place harassment. We will continue to push the importance of gender-equal work spaces.<\/p> And we will continue to find new paths to empower young women with ambitious professional aspirations.<\/p> Now is not the time to rest on our laurels.<\/p> With the board\u2019s guidance and support, we must use the many opportunities over the coming months to further empower women and girls, and dismantle discriminatory practices against them.<\/p> There are several upcoming events that will provide us such opportunities. I look forward to the board\u2019s suggestions on how we can best utilize them.<\/p> As an example, the International Day of Women and Girls in science is fast approaching. We must recognize that women\u2019s contributions in science and technology have helped us cure diseases; discover new horizons in space; and develop technologies that have vastly improved our quality of life.<\/p> As we celebrate their achievements, we must also open pathways for young girls who aspire to follow in the footsteps of pioneers in science and technology.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Let us also reflect that the theme chosen by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for this year is on \u201cachieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes\u201d.<\/p> As we strive to meet our obligations to the planet, let us recognize the important work done by women and girls at the forefront of the climate crisis, and whose humanitarian work in disaster-stricken areas has helped save lives and rebuild communities. We owe it to them to not only celebrate their work but to support them.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Our programme of work for the months ahead has been circulated to members prior to the meeting, for consideration and feedback. Please note that the events we have planned are not exhaustive. I welcome further suggestions from the board on the content and format of future events and activities.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> We have made much progress within a short while. And with the board\u2019s support and guidance, I am sure that we can keep up this strong momentum.<\/p> I look forward to working alongside all of you to achieve our vision of a gender-equal world.<\/p> Thank you.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[550,556,553],"committee-meeting":[],"class_list":["post-267575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","tag-ga","tag-pga","tag-shahid","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n