United Nations Secretary-General Calls for Global Action on International Youth Day

The United Nations Secretary-General emphasizes the significance of youth in achieving the sustainable development goals, highlighting their potential to drive positive change and create a better future for all. The Secretary-General notes that young people are rising up to challenge the status quo, advocating for justice and human rights, and promoting global action for people and the planet. The new sustainable development agenda aims to end poverty, tackle inequality, and promote decent jobs, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

Key Takeaways:

• The new sustainable development agenda aims to end poverty, tackle inequality, and promote decent jobs, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions.
• Young people have participated actively in drafting the new development agenda, with millions contributing to the Global Youth Call and the Major Group for Children and Youth mobilizing youth-led organizations worldwide.
• The Secretary-General is urging member states to include youth in the delegations for the upcoming summit to adopt the agenda, recognizing the importance of youth involvement in shaping history.
• The Office of the Secretary-General's Youth Envoy is launching a new youth "Gateway" to engage young people in the implementation of the new agenda.
• The Secretary-General emphasizes the need to support young people's health, well-being, and human rights, particularly young women, who deserve reproductive health services.
• The Secretary-General highlights the potential of young people to shape history, likening them to the "SDG generation," a generation that will come of age with the sustainable development goals.

Statistics:

• Over 1 million youth contributed to the Global Youth Call.
• The sustainable development goals aim to end poverty, tackle inequality, and promote decent jobs by 2030.
• The new agenda is expected to mobilize everyone, including governments, businesses, and individuals, to create a life of dignity for all.
• The United Nations is committed to supporting young people, particularly those affected by conflicts, through initiatives such as the Office of the Secretary-General's Youth Envoy.

Sources:

• United Nations Secretary-General's Address on International Youth Day
• The Global Youth Call
• The Major Group for Children and Youth
• United Nations Every Woman, Every Child campaign
• Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health (to be launched next month)
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)