Young People Helped Create Sustainable Development Goals, Now They Must Push Governments for Results, Secretary-General Says in Video Message to Summit

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s video message to the Youth Summit, in New York, today:

Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to send warm greetings to the Youth Summit.  I thank the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, the International Citizen Service and Restless Development for co-organizing this event.

You meet at a critical moment.  This is the largest generation of youth in history.  You are 1.8 billion strong.

This month, Governments will adopt a new global vision for sustainable development to usher in a life of dignity for all people by the year 2030.

The sustainable development goals address the monumental challenges this current generation faces:  getting a good education, finding a job, ending injustice and protecting the environment.

Young people and youth organizations helped create this bold vision.  Now we need you to realize it.  We need your energy, ideas and initiative.  We need you to push Governments for results.  And we need you to achieve success in your own right.

I have great confidence in today’s young generation, as rights-holders, agents of change and torch-bearers of the new agenda.  I will count on you to help build the future we want.  Thank you.