NEW YORK, UN Headquarters, 15 April 2025
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Fellow Youth, welcome to the 2025 ECOSOC Youth Forum!
Today, I speak to you with immense gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility, as the first United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, with a message of hope and a powerful call to action.
As I look around this room, I see the faces of change, young people from all corners of the world who refuse to accept the status quo. You are here because you know that the challenges we face cannot be solved without you.
You feel the urgency.
You understand that the complexity of our times demands intersectional solutions, co-created and driven by the diversity of youth voices, experiences, and realities.
This room is filled with hundreds of young people in person, and many more joining us virtually from across the globe. Your presence speaks volumes. But so does the absence of those who could not be here due to visa restrictions, structural barriers, or because they live in regions plagued by conflict.
From Gaza to Sudan, Yemen to Myanmar, we must acknowledge a painful truth:
We are living in a world experiencing more conflict than at any point since World War II.
The SDGs are off track.
The planet is degrading at an alarming pace due to human actions.
We are witnessing a global crisis of trust in institutions, and I cannot blame those who feel let down.
The future ahead, especially for your generation, is deeply uncertain and we, as institutions, have failed on many fronts.
And yet, despite every reason not to, you are here.
You did not give up. You chose to show up. You chose to invest your time, your voice, your energy in multilateralism.
You came to claim accountability. You came to build solidarity.
You came because you believe we can, and must, do better.
Just a few months ago, world leaders gathered here at the UN to endorse the Pact for the Future.
To our government representatives in the room: I call on you to uphold the commitments you made under that Pact.
The Pact is more than a political document. It is a renewed promise to young people and to future generations that meaningful youth participation will be at the heart of decision-making processes going forward.
We must not allow these commitments to fade into silence.
Now more than ever, we must deliver on our promises.
Youth engagement is not just about inclusion, it is about improving decision-making. It is about rebuilding trust in institutions.
It is about protecting the rights of young people and fulfilling our collective public responsibility.
Queridas y queridos jóvenes, estimados delegados,
Quisiera concluir haciendo un llamado urgente a quienes toman decisiones y nos acompañan hoy aquí.
Las oportunidades para cambiar el rumbo son cada vez más escasas. Y cada oportunidad perdida tiene un coste: miles de vidas truncadas, sueños desvanecidos, futuros comprometidos.
Por eso, nuestras instituciones, incluida la ONU, deben evolucionar Debemos transformar nuestras estructuras, destinar los recursos necesarios y demostrar, con hechos, nuestra disposición a trabajar en verdadera colaboración con las personas jóvenes.
Desde mi parte, desde la Oficina para la Juventud, siempre encontrarán un aliado para impulsar esos cambios.
A las juventudes presentes, espero que este espacio esté a la altura de vuestras expectativas. Que le permita entablar diálogos reales y constructivos, elevar vuestras voces, compartir vuestras inquietudes y catalizar propuestas concretas que nos acerquen a un mundo más justo, sostenible y en paz.
Hoy más que nunca, no dejemos que las palabras se queden vacías.
Como dijo una joven activista durante un foro anterior:
“El futuro de las generaciones de mañana depende de las decisiones que tomemos hoy.”
Gracias.