When have young people addressed the UN?
Last Updated: Sep 13, 2024     Views: 540

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.

 

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.

 

Finding Statements

Not all meetings at the UN have transcripts or recordings. Open formal meetings of the principal organs have official meeting records with transcripts or summaries of statements made. Conferences, summits, side events and other types of meetings may not have any records, so it can be hard to find UN sources for this content.
 
Sources of information to research statements or speeches:


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.