Deputy Secretary-General, at World Scout Conference Opening Ceremony, Stresses New Leadership Model Involving Youth Key to Building Better Future for all

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the opening ceremony of the forty-third World Scout Conference, in Cairo today: 

It is a great pleasure to address the 43rd World Scout Conference.  Thank you to His Excellency, Prime Minister [Mostafa] Madbouly, [President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi], the Egyptian National Scout Organization, and the World Organization of the Scout Movement for inviting me.  And thanks to all the young leaders, youth networks and organizations here today.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate the World Organization of Scout Movements — one of the most important youth movements in the world.

You put youth empowerment and engagement first.  You link local initiatives with global solidarity. And you are working hard in your communities for the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — I want to thank you for that.

We at the United Nations need your voices and your contributions — because our world is facing significant challenges.  New and ongoing conflicts, rising geopolitical tensions, increasing inequalities, polarization and division are challenging us all.

Our response must always be based on building hope in the present and investing in a better future.  And since young people will be running that future, the World Scout Conference is more important than ever.

The United Nations and the World Organization of Scout Movements are both values-based organizations.  That’s why our partnership is so strong.  We don’t change our opinions with the wind.  We have the courage of our convictions.  Because our decisions are based on our values.  And those values never go out of fashion.

Trustworthiness, loyalty, collaboration and bravery are at the core of the scout movement.  And trustworthiness, loyalty, collaboration and courage are central to the vision of the United Nations.  Let’s take each in turn.

True multilateralism is about building trust between people and countries.  It is about loyalty to each other and our shared mission to build a better world.  It is about collaborating to find joint solutions to global problems.

And as for courage — tens of thousands of United Nations peacekeeping personnel and humanitarian aid workers are risking their lives right now around the world.

In fact, the past year has seen the highest number of United Nations personnel killed since the founding of our Organization.  The vast majority were women and men in Gaza working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), our aid agency to support Palestine refugees.

I know Palestinian Scouts have been working closely with UNRWA, despite terrible risks, to offer aid and hope to children and displaced families in Gaza.  Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this horrific conflict.

We need an urgent ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages and a massive increase in humanitarian aid.  I thank the World Organization of Scouting Movements for raising your voices for peace, and for standing with your Palestinian and Israeli Scout family.

The past two years have seen what I call a Youthquake at the United Nations.  We have been taking a long, hard look at ourselves and at the world.  And we have reached some conclusions.  Global decision-makers all tend to look the same.  Have you noticed that?  The Group of Seven (G7), the Group of 20 (G20), African Union, as well as the United Nations Security Council.

The people taking the decisions are generally middle-aged men in suits and ties.  With a few exceptions, like me.  But, those decisions affect all of us.

So, we have launched an exercise to update these global processes, and one of the most important changes is to make decision-making broader and more inclusive, especially to youth and women.  The details are still being negotiated ahead of the Summit of the Future which will take place in New York next month.

In September, at the UN, countries from around the world will agree on a Pact for the Future which — among other things — emphasizes the need for young people, in all their diversity, to be recognized as equal partners in decision-making.

Because young people will be most affected by many of today’s decisions — on climate, on artificial intelligence, on investments in the SDGs. But, young people are rarely in the room when those decisions are taken.  We’re trying to change that.  The Pact for the Future aims for meaningful youth engagement to become the norm, not the exception, everywhere.

Working together and finding joint solutions needs all hands-on deck. Young people bring new perspectives and innovative solutions but also need the guidance and experience of older generations.  Only by strengthening intergenerational discourse can we create solutions that reflect the diverse needs of our societies and shape a future that is inclusive and just for all.

And to show we mean business, we’ve already put this into action in our own Organization. We have a newly empowered Youth Office, headed by an Assistant Secretary-General, Felipe Paullier of Uruguay, who is working to get young people’s voices in every decision-making room of the United Nations.  Enabling an environment where we learn from each other, debate, and find a common ground across generations, nationalities, gender and beliefs.

Today’s one-size-fits-all leadership model has failed. We need a new model that includes everyone, and especially those who have been silenced until now — young people, women and girls, people with disabilities, and minorities of all kinds.

I have no doubt that there is an important place for the World Organization of Scouting Movements in the multilateral system.  I urge you to continue raising your voices and contributing your expertise and creativity – including at this Conference. By sharing your diverse experiences, you can help to formulate culturally sensitive proposals to build a more positive and optimistic future for all.

Thank you — and I wish you all success in your discussions and workshops over the next few days.