A parallel side event to the
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues & the 2023 ECOSOC Youth Forum
Ms. Kavita Desai, Quaker UN Representative
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you very much to Quaker UN for organizing this event.
It is an absolute honor for me to be here today!
Who am I and what am I doing here?
My name is Gerard Anapu from Samoa. I am a diplomat, a village chief, a Sunday School teacher, a volunteer in NGO’s back home, but at the moment I am a Fellow in the President of the General Assembly’s Fellowship Programme. I know! how do I even keep up?!
The so-called Fellowship programme is an initiative which is now in its second year and brings young and early career diplomats to work within the President of the General Assembly’s office.
In the President’s office, there are 6 Teams that advise the President on their respective issues and we rotate amongst the teams throughout the programme.
It is an amazing opportunity to learn and immerse ourselves within the United Nations and its work.
Personally, I enjoy every minute of it, and I have learned so much from the work I do.
Its an opportunity to learn on all the crosscutting issues that is discussed at the UN from Sustainable Development, Gender, Peace and Security and, youth engagement at all levels to name a few coupled with learning the internal processes.
As a young person this is quite an experience.
What I have noticed working as a public servant, it has made me forget that I am a young person and I can do more as a young person in that role that just conform.
Its like, as soon as you finish university and start working, everything else becomes normalized, we forget to try and challenge the status quo in ways we do things.
We forget that we need to be the catalyst for change in an already depressing world of “established practices”.
This is why being on the Fellowship, and opportunities alike, is refreshing and a good wake up call of the need for me as a young person to do more for our world.
Right now, I am already thinking of solutions and ideas I can offer my government upon return to increase youth engagement in my country. If you have any ideas, I would be happy to take them.
This is the kind of inspiration we need but it also starts with our own self-admission that something is wrong, and something needs to change, and we need to ask ourselves, what can we do?!
As President of the Samoa Family Health Association, an NGO that advocates for Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights at home, it is an excellent opportunity for me to effect change as a young person.
However, it is not easy!
You are still questioned as a young person on whether you are qualified enough to lead such an organization.
It casts doubts and makes you self-conscious.
Instead of giving in to the questions and the doubts, I used the opportunity and rise above. I have advocated at Ministerial level, community and at a national level on telly.
We just need to believe in ourselves and our ability in the things we do, as young people.
So often, we are told or even say to ourselves that the youth are the future and leaders of tomorrow.
I believe this isn’t 100% true. We are the present and we are leaders of today and tomorrow and we also need the change for us.
Our dear youth colleagues before us have paved the way and have done the hard work in calling for recognition of young people at all levels.
Now is the time for transformation and action from us.
We need to ask ourselves what our elevator pitch is to the world and the triple planetary crisis. What solutions do we have and what contributions can we give?
This is where the real impact is!
You have probably heard of this example a couple of times now, but this is an excellent example of meaningful youth engagement.
In March of this year, the UN General Assembly passed with consensus a resolution seeking an ICJ Advisory Opinion on the legal implications of Climate Change. It was initiated by Pacific law students and brought to the attention of the Vanuatu government that led the process.
Just yesterday, I read that it is already moving within the ICJ with written submissions due this October and oral presentations sometime in the following year.
Here is something interesting to think about, the United Nations is an amazing international body made up of 6 Principal Organs and comprises of 193 Member States excluding observers.
Do you see who drives the process and gets it through the system?
Not the President or the SG and not even the UN as a body. It’s Vanuatu, the member states!
Whilst our presence at the UN is important, it’s also vital to talk to our governments, they must know who we are and what we do.
It’s often too easy and believe me when I say this, from experience, governments just process participation of a delegation and not know them at all.
We have to work a little harder to take up this task and bring leaders’ our solutions and get their attention!
If you can, do something with your community or at the grassroots level because people appreciate this kind of initiative and can go a long way when approaching our leaders’.
Leaders in government need to be reminded that we cannot be capable adults if they do not put in the effort to empower us by inclusion and being heard and not just listened to.
Friends, there are countless opportunities where you can engage in the UN. It does not have to be an event/meeting entitled “youth” something.
Google UN Schedule and you will see all the meetings planned. Pick out the ones that interest you, enquire, nag at your government, and reach out to your networks on how you can be involved.
Some noticeable upcoming meetings include, the High-Level Political Forum in July which will also serve as a follow up to the Water Conference, United Nations General Assembly in September, SDG Summit in September, and the Summit of the Future in 2024.
Side events, see if there are any which you can be a part of or attend.
Get out of your comfort zone, meet people from other regions and people you usually would not talk to because that network you build today can go a long way in the future.
The 77th President has also hosted more townhalls for CSO’s than any other PGA before. He has also made countless efforts to engage with youth at the UN and to visit schools or youth groups in countries that he visits.
Read up on the UNSG’s latest policy brief in the “Our Common Agenda” about key actions that need to be taken to achieve meaningful youth engagement and how it can assist your pitch to your leaders’.
Let me finish by saying this, be resilient, be active, be vocal to your government, visit your missions.
Take your solutions to them, keep knocking on that door until you are heard and persevere. Never ever give up!
So, lets continue to rise above and work together knowing that governments are decision makers, but we are decision shapers.
Thank you.
