Deputy Secretary-General Hails Young People’s Visions as Inspiration to Do More on Climate Action, in Message for Global Entreps Award

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed’s video message on the occasion of the Solution17 Art for Climate Action Fifth Global Entreps Award, on 25 September:

It is a pleasure to greet youth leaders and the Solution17 community today.

Today the world is at a critical juncture.  We are experiencing the COVID‑19 pandemic and an existential climate crisis.  Climate change poses significant challenges to your generation for which you were not responsible.  You must therefore be at the core of our climate solutions.

Fortunately, you already are at the centre of the climate movement.  You are bringing solutions to your peers and decision‑makers through hackathons, inventions, and low‑carbon businesses, and through your voices, votes and demonstrations in the streets.

Today, you are bringing the world 17 solutions through your art.  Art and music are unifying forces that build bridges across cultures, borders and generations, overcoming miscommunications and mistrust.  They speak to hearts and minds.  Art inspires individuals to see things in new ways.  It can inspire us to get involved.  This is why art is a critical tool for climate action.

You have 17 solutions.  I applaud your vision and ambition.  And I can’t wait to learn about what you do next.  For now, I encourage you to take these solutions to your families, your communities, your mayors and governors.  Ask them all to share your solutions – and to fund them.  Challenge your peers to contribute their ideas – and help us move beyond fossil fuels into an era of solar power and green.

Climate change can be the issue that brings humanity together during this unprecedented time.  Like art itself, it offers an opportunity to unite behind a common platform of commitment to transformation.  We need all hands on deck to turn this crisis into an opportunity for a better future.  You and your visions are our inspiration to do more urgently, leaving no one behind.  The United Nations is committed to give you the platform to raise your voices and support the realizations of your aspirations.