SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN MESSAGE, SAYS WITH HALF THE WORLD’S POPULATION UNDER AGE 25,

YOUNG PEOPLE ‘CAN AND MUST’ PLAY CENTRAL ROLE IN OVERCOMING GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the conference of the Committee on Teaching about the United Nations, as delivered by Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, in New York, today:

It is a pleasure to greet all the participants in this timely and important conference.

Education is critical if individuals are to reach their potential, and if communities and nations are to live in harmony and achieve long-term well-being.

This is an exciting time to promote the cause of education.  Science, technological breakthroughs and the wider distribution and sharing of knowledge through the Internet have raised awareness of how we can overcome pressing global challenges, whether they are political, economic or environmental. 

With roughly half the world’s population under the age of 25, young people can and must play a central role -- not just tomorrow, as future leaders and productive members of society, but even today.  I challenge each of you to do your part in raising awareness among your students and in your schools about the issues the world faces, and the need for international cooperation in addressing them.  The two crises of the moment -– the global financial crisis and climate change -- demonstrate powerfully the limits of boundaries and borders in thinking about problems that threaten all of us.

The World Programme Action for Youth recognizes the centrality of education for children and youth, and stresses the importance of promoting human rights education in particular.  To support this goal, the Department of Public Information has created various materials on human rights that are available on the United Nations Cyberschoolbus website.  The Department also organizes an annual student conference on human rights in December.

The sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights saw the announcement of another major United Nations initiative addressed to teachers, scholars and students:  the Academic Impact.  This initiative will offer institutions the opportunity to undertake specific actions in support of, and in partnership with, the United Nations in efforts to realize the Declaration’s broad and enduring vision.  I commend those institutions that are already participating and welcome the involvement of others.

As educators, you model a concept of global citizenship.  Your role is crucial in communicating to global citizens-in-the-making what it means to live in an increasingly interdependent community where we are accountable not just to ourselves and our families, communities and countries, but also to people throughout the world.  You can help students grow into this notion of a global civic identity, and understand how their decisions have an impact ranging well beyond their immediate vicinity.

The United Nations is uniquely placed to work with you in instilling a sense of global citizenship in today’s youth.  With a global perspective and a sense of global responsibility, there is no limit to what we can achieve together.  Thank you again for your commitment to teaching about the United Nations.  Please accept my best wishes for a successful, enriching conference.

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For information media • not an official record