Secretary-General, at Model United Nations, Urges Young People to Use Idealism,

 

Energy, Social Networking —‘the Power of Your Voice’ — to Make a Better World

 

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to the UNA-USA Model United Nations, in New York, 13 May:

Good evening.

It is a great pleasure to be with you this evening.

I must admit, I was a little confused when I walked in.

You are all so polished and wonderful to look at.  I thought you could be models, and I thought that I was at New York Fashion Week.

Perhaps that’s what Model UN really means!

It’s OK.  You are allowed to laugh.

I am very pleased to see this General Assembly Hall full of dynamism and full of idealism and vibrant.  This chamber has always been sober and very quiet and of course full of dynamic debate on major international issues.  I am very pleased to see young leaders of our future generations, and I thank you for coming.

In fact, this is our cathedral, our temple, our mosque.

A magnificent house for an organization built on values.

Peace.  Freedom.  Dignity.  A fair chance for all people.

These are what we are pledged to work for.

I hope this is what you will work for, in your schools and throughout your lives.

Seeing you here today reminds me of my own youth.

I grew up in Korea right after a terrible Korean war.

I know what it is like to go to bed hungry every night, wondering what to eat next.  To go to school with no roof, studying on the dirt.  To live in poverty.

But I also know the power of the blue flag of the United Nations.  It was a beacon of hope.

The United Nations helped rebuild my country.  It brought us hope.  Peace and development.

That experience made me want to work for my country and for the United Nations.  It is what has brought me here today as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

It is a great privilege for me to serve in its cause.

This is a time of turmoil and uncertainty.

I know you all feel it.  I am sure you all know friends or relatives whose parents have lost jobs and even homes.

Your schools may be suffering cuts.

You will have watched the news from around the world.  Food riots.  The flu panic.

You will have followed the climate change debate.  I am sure you are wondering how long it will take for Governments to agree to stop this crisis that will affect us all.

These events show how our world is interwoven, interconnected.  How all our lives are linked.

You will also have seen the terrible images from Haiti.  You have felt the suffering of Haiti’s people.  Many of you, I know, donated time and money.

When the earthquake struck Haiti, the world united in solidarity.

My job is to try to get the same solidarity for all people who are suffering, anywhere on earth.

The poor, the hungry, the oppressed people.

I cannot do it alone.

I need you, the leaders of our next generation.

I need you to speak for me and I need you to act for me, act for the United Nations.

Often, when I talk to young people, I say “you are the leaders of tomorrow”.

And it is true.  You will become mothers and fathers, employees and employers, professors, senators, psychiatrists, businessmen, surfers.

But you are already leaders.

Your ideas, your actions and your decisions make a difference.

More than any other generation, you have a voice.

Social networking is changing how we interact — and it can change our world.

You are in touch with peers from around the world.  You understand the power of instant communication.

I appeal to you to use that power for the common good, the power of communication and the power of networking.

Youth is characterised by idealism.  Energy.

The United Nations is founded on ideals.  It needs your energy.

Yesterday I visited Canada.

Canada will host the next summits of the G-8 and the G-20.  These are the most powerful nations in the world.  The most influential leaders.

Last year, when we were reacting to the financial crisis, I called for solidarity with the poor and vulnerable.  I said no one should be left behind.

This year I will say the same.

I will remind leaders of the world that 10 years ago, all governments agreed on eight goals — that is, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs are a promise to reduce in half extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.  We have only five years left.

A commitment to promote green growth, to educate young people, to stop children under five from dying of diseases that can be easily cured.

They are a pledge to empower women and girls, and reduce the number of women who die in childbirth.

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day.

Mothers are dying needlessly every day.

In the twenty-first century, in a world of such remarkable wealth and knowledge, this is just unacceptable.

Too many people are poor.  Too many people die from poverty.

I heard Bono call it “stupid poverty”.

This is exactly what it is.

Stupid and unacceptable.

We can change it.  You can change it.

Use the power of your voice, through Facebook, through Twitter.  You should know that I am the first Secretary-General of the United Nations to use e-mail and Twitter.

[There are all kinds of] new things that I may never learn to use remind me that our world — your world — is changing, and I try to change myself.  I am quite an old man; still, I try to keep up with your generation.

I firmly believe that we can make it a better world, not just for a privileged few, but for everyone in the world.

I believe in a world of justice and human rights for all.

A world where girls can grow up free of fear of abuse.

A world where women are treated with the respect and dignity that is their right.

A world where poverty is not acceptable.

My dear young friends, you can make this your world.

Just by being here, you are taking the first steps towards that new world.

You will hear ideas and debate complex issues.  You may well make friends that will change your lives.

As this Model UN unfolds, remember that the word “model” has a number of meanings.

In the context of this diplomatic exercise here at the United Nations, it can mean “a small copy”.

But I prefer another of its meanings: “a praiseworthy example to be copied”.

Hopefully your time at this Model United Nations will help you become the models of the world’s needs.

Now, I think I have talked enough.

I would like to hear from you.

I understand that you have some questions for me after my speech.

But first, before I conclude, I have some questions for you.

They are simple questions.  The answers are “yes” or “no”.  Just say yes or no.

If the answer is yes, I want you to shout out, or clap, or stamp your feet, or you can do all three combined.

Just make sure to do it loudly enough so that world leaders will hear you.  We are going to have many world leaders who will be sitting debating world poverty issues.  They should be able to listen and hear your voice.  So just speak out.

Are you ready?

First question:  Can we stamp out poverty?

[Audience responded with a loud “YES”]

Sorry, I didn’t hear you.

[Audience responded with a loud “YES”]

Can we end discrimination against women and girls?

[Audience responded with a loud “YES”]

Can we free this world of nuclear weapons?

[Audience responded with a loud “YES”]

Last question.  Can we live together as “united nations”?

[Audience responded with a louder “YES”]

Thank you very much.  I heard your loud voices.  They have been recorded and will be conveyed to world leaders.  Thank you very much for your support.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record