NEW YORK, UN Headquarters, 20 September 2024
Dear colleagues, delegates, fellow youth!
I am so excited to join you today and officially celebrate the opening of the Action Days of the Summit of the Future.
Today, I carry with me an immense privilege and a deep sense of responsibility as I deliver a message of hope, recognition, and a call to action, as the first United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs.
More than one thousand six hundred young people have registered for the Action Days and thousands more are joining us remotely. This is exceptional!
At the same time, I want to recognize the barriers that many young people constantly face when trying to participate in these spaces. Visa barriers, language barriers, financial barriers.
To all of you: we hear you, we see you, we recognize you.
I stand here filled with pride, satisfaction, and the duty to acknowledge the path that has brought us here. Allow me to take a moment to recognize those who have planted the seeds along the way.
First and foremost, the young people who tirelessly have been advocating and striving for a world that is more just, diverse, and equal.
I also wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the former Secretary-General’s Envoys on Youth, Ahmad and Jayathma, who both took essential steps shedding light on youth issues that had long been invisible and relegated.
And let me also recognize the support and the conviction of our Leadership. Thank you, Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, for being big champions of this agenda and being part of the Youth Action Day as true allies.
The establishment of the United Nations Youth Office as a specialized mechanism for youth affairs within the United Nations Secretariat is the biggest testament to this journey. Backed by strong political support from Member States, it marks a significant shift in our commitment to youth.
Today, we are gathered here at the United Nations General Assembly, just a few hours before the starting point of a critical intergovernmental process for the future of global governance. The Summit of the Future, is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape our multilateral systems putting young people at the center.
Over the past year, our office has worked closely with young people around the world to advocate for concrete commitments at the Summit, hoping to make meaningful youth engagement the norm.
Queridos jovenes y colegas,
Hace diez años, hubiera sido impensable imaginar un dÃa como hoy.
Un dÃa dentro del programa oficial de un evento global de las Naciones Unidas dedicado a las juventudes, con las personas jóvenes como auténticas protagonistas de los debates, reflexiones y propuestas.
Un dÃa en el que esta casa reconoce que cualquier agenda — ya sea de género, clima, paz y seguridad, desarrollo sostenible, o derechos humanos — está atravesada por la agenda de juventud.
Pero a pesar de los avances, nuestro mundo se encuentra en un momento crÃtico.
Estamos presenciando el mayor número de conflictos desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y estos conflictos afectan de manera desproporcionada a las personas jóvenes de todo el mundo.
Desde Gaza, hasta Ucrania, pasando por Sudán y Myanmar, desde 2022 las muertes relacionadas con los conflictos han alcanzado su punto más alto en 28 años.
Con una de cada cuatro personas jóvenes a nivel mundial viviendo en paÃses afectados por conflictos, estas tensiones impactan directamente en sus vidas y medios de subsistencia.
Al mismo tiempo, la desconfianza entre las juventudes y las instituciones sigue empeorando, agravando las desigualdades e incrementando la inestabilidad.
Como sistema y comunidad global, hemos fallado en construir ese mundo que hemos prometido tantas veces. Las excusas para no poner fin a la tragedia climática, las guerras, los desplazamientos forzados y, en definitiva, la pérdida de generaciones, se están agotando.
Si hoy estamos aquà reunidos — jóvenes de todo el mundo, jefes de estado, representantes de la sociedad civil, la academia, el sector público y privado — es justamente para romper esta tendencia y pasar a la acción.
El domingo se inaugura la Cumbre del Futuro, y tengo la esperanza y la confianza de que estas Jornadas de Acción van a propiciar la transformación positiva que necesitamos. Esa es la intención de estas dos jornadas que hoy inauguramos.
Dear young people, dear colleagues,
The Pact for the Future, with Member States’, with governments’ concrete commitments, offer an opportunity to build the future we want.
It is our joint responsibility to put these actions into practice.
Although young people remain the generation with the most confidence in the multilateral system, we run the risk of losing them as partners if we do not make this pact a reality.
I truly hope these Action Days will spark actions and commitments, and foster a renewed sense of solidarity, collaboration, trust and community.
Thank you. Gracias.