young people’s energy, idealism can help achieve timely achievement of development

goals, Secretary-General says in message to Global Youth forum

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Global Forum on Youth and ICT for Development today, 24 September:

It is a great pleasure to send my best wishes to the Global Forum on Youth and ICT for Development. This meeting brings together two of the most powerful agents of change in our world today:  youth, and information and communication technology.

ICT has transformed human interaction.  It has opened opportunities for people across social classes and expanded their ability to participate more fully in society.  And it is playing an increasingly important role in the quest for development, dignity and peace.

By the same token, the world’s young people are a major human resource for development.  Young men and women everywhere are valuable and committed partners in the global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty and hunger in half by 2015.  Young people remain at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS.  And they bring fresh thinking to longstanding development concerns.

The digital revolution has increased young people’s capacity to bring about positive social change.  ICT gives them the tools to learn new skills, to share knowledge, and to nourish human capacity.  As information flows seamlessly around the planet, young people can more effectively act as catalysts for change -- locally and globally.  They can create social networks in support of our education, health and governance goals.  And they can come up with innovative ideas to help confront the challenges facing our globalized world.

As we pass the midpoint of the race to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we need the participation of youth more than ever.  Young people’s energy and idealism can help make up for lost ground, and achieve our development goals in full and on time.

The aim of the Global Forum is to give young people the opportunity to meet with their peers, technology experts, leaders of the private sector and policymakers.  I encourage you to use this event not only to exchange views and experiences with each other, but to help create a new dynamic for development.

Together, let us harness the power of information and communication technology to advance our shared objective of building a better world for all.

I wish you every success at this Forum, and I look forward to learning about its outcome.

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For information media • not an official record