Young people must have ‘a seat at the table’ in peace efforts: Guterres
Although young people have been at the forefront of efforts to build and sustain peace, opportunities for them to make a meaningful contribution remain insufficient, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday.
Although young radical person been astatine the forefront of efforts to physique and prolong peace, opportunities for them to marque a meaningful publication stay insufficient, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said connected Thursday.
Addressing the opening of the High-Level Global Conference connected Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes, taking spot online, helium urged the planetary assemblage to measurement up support.
“We request to guarantee that young radical person a spot astatine the array – forging inclusive solutions that harvester bid and security, sustainable improvement and quality rights,” helium said.
Expand concern
The Secretary-General listed examples of UN support, including done the Peacebuilding Commission, which has provided young peacebuilders a level to contiguous their enactment and recommendations.
Last year, the Peacebuilding Fund provided astir $26 cardinal to projects implemented with civilian nine partners moving successful the areas of youth, bid and security.
This concern indispensable beryllium expanded, helium said, with further and much accessible resources, to enactment youth-led initiatives.
New ‘Youth successful Politics’ tool
Amid reports of threats and violations against young peacebuilders and rights defenders, the Secretary-General besides highlighted the request to fortify quality rights protections and safeguard civic space.
“In this regard, the UN volition make a Youth successful Politics Index to way the opening of governmental abstraction successful countries astir the satellite that younger generations are truthful intelligibly demanding,” helium said.
Mr. Guterres praised young radical for speaking retired arsenic the satellite faces profound crises that see the COVID-19 pandemic, clime change, rising conflicts and discrimination.
‘Powerful’ agents for change
Though heavy affected by these challenges, they are connected the frontlines for enactment and solutions.
“I salute young radical astir the satellite for raising their voices – successful the streets and online – and lasting up for clime action, sex equality, radical and societal justness and truthful overmuch more,” helium said.
As the satellite strives to retrieve from the pandemic, Mr. Guterres underscored the request to code the basal causes of the exclusion of young radical and present connected the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We indispensable put successful providing prospects and opportunities for young people, particularly young women, and including done education,” helium said. “Young radical are not lone citizens with adjacent rights but besides almighty agents for alteration whose voices indispensable beryllium afloat heard.”
Advancing the agenda
The virtual two-day planetary conference, which concludes connected Friday, is being co-hosted by Qatar, Finland and Colombia.
Among the aims is strengthening governmental volition and committedness towards including younker successful forging bid agreements, with a peculiar absorption connected young women.
The Secretary-General was pleased that up of the conference, participants had already produced 2 important documents, which see a five-year strategy connected Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes.
He expressed assurance that these resources volition assistance to beforehand the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda successful each country.
“You tin number connected me,” helium told participants. “You tin number connected the United Nations to proceed to amplify young people’s voices and enactment your efforts towards a peaceful, sustainable and inclusive future.”
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