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Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

Glasgow,

October 31,? 2021

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Good afternoon my dear friends,

I am delighted to join you today.

I am honored to have the chance to address young climate leaders, and even more excited to hear what you have to say.

I will say it upfront: You inspire me and I am a fan.

It takes courage and conviction, it takes principles and determination to stand your ground on what you believe in, to push back against obstacles and roadblocks to progress.

I know that YOÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵGO has played a big part in climate negotiations, an often-uncelebrated role.

It was young climate activists and leaders who maintained momentum on the need for 1.5.

I have also closely followed the ¡®Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition¡¯ meeting in Milan. 400 young climate leaders brainstormed for much needed-solutions in four key thematic areas. You have called for comprehensive climate action that is both inclusive and equitable.

It is young climate leaders like you who have pushed for more ambitious, more difficult solutions ¨C such as divesting from fossil fuels.

It is you have fought the denial of the climate crisis with determination of action and conviction of cause.

I know you are unimpressed with the political soundbites and platitudes, and you will not settle for anything less than transformational change for people, planet, and our shared prosperity.

My message to you, dear friends, is never stop doing that. Keep at it.

Don¡¯t let bureaucracy stifle your courage.

Let not the size of a challenge determine your capacity to fight.

Always stay hopeful, stay ambitious and keep going ahead.

Do not be fooled by my age, I am a young person at heart.

And that heart beats for humanity, for a better world.

I was in Rio in 1992 when the first Earth Summit was held. Many of you probably wouldn¡¯t have been born then. I was there, I was a young diplomat.

And my advice to you, based on my experience in life, is that: let yourselves be physically grown, but keep yourselves ¡®youth¡¯.

We are talking about 1.8 billion youth in the world today. Those 1.8 billion youth are able to keep the ambitions high, particularly on the targets that are required for the 1.5 degree target. I do not want the world that you inherit ¨C the 1.8 billion youth inherit, be again a generation of what we are today. Let yourselves be yourselves when you grow up; don¡¯t let life experiences change your ambitions or convictions. Keep it strong.

When I was elected President of the General Assembly, someone asked me what the theme would be of my Presidency. While I was not expecting the question, my immediate response was ¡®hope¡¯.

Because hope is something that our world is sorely lacking.

With the climate crisis ever present.

With the tragedy of COVID-19.

And with rampant inequality, our world is suffering from collective anxiety and widespread despair.

But I believe it is time that we remember what we can do, what we are capable of doing. That is the message that I have focused on during the session at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly and a message I have brought with me here to Glasgow for COP26. That is the message I told world leaders this morning.

We do have the resources, we do have the technologies, collectively we can defeat climate change.

The only obstacle, I told the leaders today, is us, we. Us, not having the courage to make the decisions required.

And WE have to make the choice.

And I believe that WE will make the right one, I told the Opening Session today.

There is a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP short video of a dinosaur walking into the General Assembly Hall. It has a powerful message. I relayed that same message to world leaders this morning.

I want to hear from you. Guide me.

I thank you. And I thank you for the Global Youth Statement. ?

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