20 September 2024 - Young people took centre stage at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Headquarters on Friday in the lead-up to the Summit of the Future ¨C an unprecedented opportunity for world leaders to address current and emerging global challenges, and reform outdated international institutions.
Scores of youth from across the world packed into the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly Hall for the start of two ¡°action days¡± ahead of the Summit, which begins on Sunday.
Felipe Paullier, the first-ever Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, described the Summit of the Future as a once-in-a-generation chance to reshape the multilateral system and put young people at its heart.
Preparing the landscape
¡°Ten years ago, a day like today would have been unimaginable: a day on the official programme of the United Nations dedicated to youth,¡± he said.
¡°A day when this house recognizes that any agenda - whether it's gender, climate, peace and security, sustainable development or human rights - has the youth agenda as a cross-cutting element of it.¡±
Young people have been ¡°instrumental in shaping the landscape¡± in preparation for the Summit, said Terry Otieno, a social advocate from Kenya and member of the Major Group for Children and Youth at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.
Shaping the future
Leaders are expected to adopt a Pact for the Future that covers sustainable development and related financing; peace and security; science, technology and innovation; youth and future generations, and transformation of global governance.
A Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations will be in annex.
They are also examining proposals to reform the international financial architecture and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Security Council, which were established some eight decades ago, at a time when many countries were still under colonial rule.
Young activist Areej from Yemen remarked that children born years from now will be affected by decisions made today.
¡°What we do now will shape their world, whether that world is defined by conflict, poverty and fear, or by hope, security and opportunity,¡± she said. ¡°We must ask ourselves: are we ready to take action so that every child can flourish?
Against youth ¡®tokenism¡¯
Young people believe that their participation in Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ affairs is best described as ¡°tokenism¡±, according to a live poll taken in the room prior to a dialogue with Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres.
Caleb Brathwaite, president of the Barbados Youth Development Council, was not surprised by the results, recalling that the Secretary-General recently said the current multilateral system ¡°was built by our grandparents¡±.
He feared that the Pact for the Future will be ¡°a mere agreement¡±, and appealed for action, including establishing branches of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Youth Office across the globe.
He also urged young people to ¡°keep our governments¡¯ feet to the fire¡± to ensure that the chapter of the Pact that covers youth and future generations is realized.
Listen to us
¡°The most sort of insidious thing about tokenism is that our stories get to be shared with others, but they don't actually inform action going forward,¡± said Daphne Frias, a youth activist and organizer.
¡°Our voices occupy rooms, but then they fall on silent ears.¡±
Daphne said it is truly time to listen to her generation. She also pointed out that not only do young people face obstacles in engaging with the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, they also encounter barriers in seeking employment with the global body in terms of education, language and other requirements.