Secretary-General, in Message to Dialogue of Civilizations, Calls for ‘Special Effort’ to Reach Youth Where They Live, Communicate, Share Ideas

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, to the fifteenth session of the Dialogue of Civilizations, today at Oxford University, United Kingdom:

I am pleased to convey my greetings to all those taking part in the fifteenth session of the Dialogue of Civilizations.  I thank the Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain’s Prize for Poetic Creativity and Oxford University for hosting this gathering.

You have come together to discuss a number of vital issues of global concern — from the plight of refugees to a wide range of pressing development challenges.  Your event takes place in the wake of the adoption by world leaders of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  The Agenda provides a people-centred, planet-friendly blueprint for ending global poverty in the next 15 years and building a life of dignity for all.  Achieving this transformative agenda will take the commitment of all communities working together in harmony and partnership.  This is also the spirit that animates the work of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

As we work for a better future, let us do our utmost to engage and involve those who have the greatest stake in it — our youth.  I have often said that young people are not just leaders for tomorrow, they are leaders for today.  We need to make a special effort to reach young people where they live, share ideas and communicate.  Social media is central.  Let us offer a counter-weight to the siren songs of extremists that promise adventure, but deliver horror — and that promise meaning, but create more misery.

Thank you for your commitment and conviction in shaping a better future for all through dialogue.  Together we can make the world a better, safer place.