Be ‘Trailblazers for Action’, Secretary-General Urges Young People at International School Student Conference
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, delivered by Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, at the fortieth annual United Nations International School (UNIS) International Student Conference in New York today:
On behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, I am delighted to welcome you all today to UN Headquarters. The Secretary-General is away on official business and sends his regrets that he cannot be with us. It is my privilege to be able to represent him.
This is the fortieth year that the United Nations International School has brought high school students together in this majestic hall for this conference. I hope your surroundings inspire you to consider the important work of the United Nations and how you might contribute yourselves to a better world.
I have seen first-hand the importance of multilateralism. Some may dismiss much of what goes on in this hall and the other conference rooms as simply talk. But, as a famous British Prime Minister once so memorably said: “To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.”
Over the next two days you will gain a better insight into how the United Nations works, and how we attempt to address the pressing issues of the day, from resolving conflict to promoting human rights and sustainable development. Your meeting comes at a time of great challenge and immense opportunity for the whole human family.
Last September, United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). This is an agenda to end poverty and build a life of dignity for all on a healthy planet. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a transformative and universal blueprint for a better future. This year we have to start in earnest in implementing them.
Last December, Governments helped lay an important part of the foundation for realizing the SDGs when they unanimously adopted the historic Paris Agreement on climate change. For the first time, all Governments have agreed to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees and to strengthen resilience to changes that are already occurring.
Young people have been crucial in raising awareness about climate change and helping shape the new sustainable development agenda. The United Nations now counts on young people like yourselves to help us achieve the SDGs.
The Secretary-General has made empowering young people one of his priorities. There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of United Nations programmes and initiatives directed at youth. The first Youth Envoy in the history of the United Nations, Ahmad Alhendawi, is bringing the perspective of young people to bear on the most intractable problems in the world, from global health care to job creation and the prevention of violent extremism.
We are also taking steps to ensure your place in our work for peace, with the landmark Security Council resolution on youth, peace and security. Young peacebuilders can now take their rightful place at the peace table. For too long, young people have been side-lined and excluded from making decisions that affect them deeply.
That must change. Young people can and must shape peace and contribute to justice and sustainable development. You are invaluable catalysts and agents of change. Your contributions can benefit all of society now and for generations to come. That is why it is important that you become well-informed and stay engaged.
The theme you have chosen for this milestone year is timely. The media has a tremendous impact on our daily lives. Its influence — in a globalized era when social media platforms are changing how we receive and disseminate information – is growing all the time.
Your influence is growing all the time. We must guard this power — this right — fiercely. Around the world, journalists and media workers continue to face attacks, harassment and other assaults on their basic human rights.
The common image of such attacks is that they occur in a war zone. Yet the majority of attacks take place outside armed conflicts. Individuals who report on issues such as corruption, or the environment, or organized crime, to name just a few subjects, are at particular risk of violence.
At the United Nations, we are speaking out regularly against these attacks and combating impunity for those who perpetrate them. We are constantly speaking out about the need to safeguard the ability of journalists to do their job of informing us about what is going in the world.
By shining a light on news good and bad, journalism can help to fight racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred and bigotry. It can broaden our horizons and make us see what we have in common, whatever our background or culture. It can bring us to the frontlines of the fight against Ebola or Zika. It can be our ally in tackling inhumanity and finding solutions to suffering, including for the millions of migrants and refugees on the move right now.
The work of the United Nations and the work of journalists thus go hand in hand. The media can also help the United Nations to do a better job by highlighting areas where we can or should do better. And it can help you become more effective global citizens.
Today, I would like to leave you with three key messages. First, nurture your passion — and your compassion. Be ambitious. Without passion, nothing happens. But without compassion, the wrong things can happen. So, act with passion and compassion — and help us build a better world for all.
Second, remember you are not just citizens of your own nations. Look beyond your own country or region. Think like a global citizen. What is happening on the other side of the world affects you too.
Third, raise your voices about the issues you care about. Get engaged. Fight intolerance. Get angry at poverty and injustice. Challenge your leaders, your professors, your peers. Speak up, on social media and wherever you can.
We need young people to be trailblazers for action. We need you to engage your friends and colleagues, to connect with others, to inspire your communities, societies and leaders. Diplomats like me have constraints that sometimes prevent us from speaking our minds. You are more free.
The Secretary-General and I urge you to raise your voices in outrage and encouragement until global leaders listen and act. By taking part in this conference, you are already demonstrating your commitment to peace, justice, equality, human rights and human dignity. Please act on your convictions.
I hope this conference will inspire you to become lifelong global citizens.
Thank you.