When have young people addressed the UN?
Last Updated: Sep 13, 2024
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Young people have addressed the United Nations many times over the years. Here are some examples of statements by young people at UN conferences, summits, and formal meetings of the UN organs.
- Severn Cullis-Suzuki:
- UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 1992
- UN videos
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Ishmael Beah:
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General Assembly Third Committee, A/C.3/62/SR.14, New York, 2007
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Appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, 2007
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General Assembly plenary, A/72/PV.83, New York, 2018
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Malala Yousafzai:
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Youth Assembly for Universal Primary Education, New York, 2013
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Appointed UN Messenger of Peace, 2017
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Security Council meeting, S/PV.8853, New York 2021
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Autumn Peltier:
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Launch of the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development 2018–2028, New York, 2018
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Greta Thunberg:
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UN Framework Convention for Climate Change, Conference of Parties (COP24), Poland, 2018
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UN Framework Convention for Climate Change, Conference of Parties (COP25), Madrid, 2019
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UN Youth Delegates
One form of youth participation at the United Nations is through the inclusion of youth delegates in a Member State's official delegation. Youth delegates can participate and speak in several intergovernmental meetings at the UN. Mostly, they participate in the General Assembly, but some also attend Functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council.
Below please find a link to Youth Delegate Search, a platform for researching speeches by youth delegates that was established by a student research group at the Department of Law of Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth
The UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth office is an initiative aimed at addressing the needs and rights of young people, while involving the youth with the work of the United Nations across the globe.
- 2017- : Jayathma Wickramanayake, press release SG/A/1739-BIO/4974
- 2013-2017: Ahmad Alhendawi, press release SG/A/1388-BIO/4444
Finding Statements
- Meeting records for UN principal organs open formal meetings (search in the UN Digital Library)
- UN Photo may have pictures of events held at UN headquarters and offices
- UN Press Releases may have summaries of statements or round-ups of events and conferences
- UN webcasts may be available from the UN Audiovisual Library or UN Web TV
Links & Files
- UN Youth Delegate Programme
- Youth Delegate Search, 1982-2019/2021 (external website)
- Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth
- UN Digital Library search results for speeches by the Envoy on Youth
- Quick Guide : Youth and Sustainable Development
- Research Guide : UN General Assembly Documentation : Meeting Records
- Ask DAG: Where can I find speeches made during the General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council meetings?
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: answers are prepared by library staff using resources available at the time of writing. This site may include links and references to third-party databases, websites, books and articles, this does not imply endorsement by the United Nations.
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