Young People Essential to Making Sahel’s Future Peaceful, Resilient, Prosperous, Deputy Secretary-General Says in Video Message for Launch

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the official launching of the Generation Unlimited Sahel, today:

Good morning, all!  Thank you for your participation in today’s launch of Generation Unlimited Sahel!

Millions of people living in the Sahel face insecurity and serious challenges to sustainable development, complicated by this devastating pandemic.  We need to act now, to improve our own prospects and those of our children and grandchildren.  The Sahel is young — over 64 per cent of people are under 25 — and more than half are women and girls.  This makes Generation Unlimited Sahel an especially important and urgent initiative.

The United Nations stands with young people.  The ongoing conversations between the United Nations and young people of the Sahel, launched under our Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, are helping us to understand your priorities and hopes, so that we can integrate them into our support for the region.  Young people’s viewpoints and approaches are essential to making the Sahel peaceful, resilient and prosperous, today and tomorrow.

The Security Council resolution creating the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel is focused on women and young people.  But it remains challenging to make tangible progress towards sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Sahel we want is a Sahel at the centre of a new and positive narrative.  Young people can build this Sahel if given the opportunity.  They have already started.  GenU is an important platform to unite young people and change the story around the Sahel.

On this basis, I officially launch the Generation Unlimited for the Sahel.  I call on the Governments of the Sahel, United Nations entities and development partners to give this initiative your maximum attention and support, so that together with young people, we can build the Sahel of their dreams, for today and for future generations.  Thank you.