Secretary-General, at Alliance of Civilizations Summer School, Tells ‘First Generation That Can End Poverty’ to Act as Global Citizens

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the Alliance of Civilizations Summer School, in New York on 17 June:

Welcome to the Headquarters of the United Nations.  I always get a boost of energy when I am asked to speak to young people.

As participants of the Alliance of Civilizations Summer School, your work ranges from speaking out against human rights violations to promoting inclusion; from facilitating the work of Governments to sometimes challenging it.

I deeply value your work to spearhead change.  I want to thank you for your leadership and strong commitment.  You have worked closely and broadly for conflict-prevention and recovery and dialogue across peoples, cultures and sectors.

I firmly believe that young people are a powerful force for social progress.  People say you are leaders of tomorrow.  I say you are leaders of today.  This is why I appointed the first-ever United Nations Envoy on Youth.  Ahmad Alhendawi of Jordan is just 30 years old.  Ahmad says young people drive change but are not in the driver’s seat.  I agree.

I have been pressing Governments to give youth the driver’s license that will enable them to participate in a bigger way and help us all get on the road to a better future.  You are the first generation that can end poverty — and the last generation that can avert the worst impacts of climate change.  That means you have a great responsibility on your shoulders.

Right now I could name 10 very complex, difficult and dangerous situations, from Syria and Iraq to Yemen and Libya, from South Sudan to Ukraine.  We have more peacekeepers deployed than ever before — with some 125,000 personnel in the field.  Violent extremism is a growing, global threat.

There are more refugees than at any time since the Second World War — some 50 million.  There are migrants dying at sea just because they are desperately trying to find a better life.

You can certainly say that the United Nations has not fully realized its goals.  But you can also certainly say that the world would be more dangerous, poorer, hungrier and more unhealthy without the United Nations.

This year is the Organization’s seventieth anniversary.  It is a time to reflect, soberly, on what we have done and what more we need to do.  And it is a time to act.  This year is a year for action.  Action on sustainable development — when we will adopt the sustainable development goals.  And action on climate change — when we hope to get a strong new universal climate agreement.

As the Summer School comes to an end and you begin to make your long journeys home, I have one request:  that you always act as a global citizen.  You have been trained to respect and live up to the United Nations Charter.  To practice tolerance and to live together in peace.

That means we must respect each other.  We must also respect the planet.  I and the United Nations remain fully committed to working with you toward this shared vision for our time.