When have young people addressed the UN?
Last Updated: Oct 25, 2024     Views: 805

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.

United Nations Youth Office

The United Nations Youth Office was established by the General Assembly resolution A/RES/76/306 from 8 September 2022. It is a dedicated office for youth affairs  in  the  Secretariat,  integrating  the  Office  of  the  Envoy  of  the  Secretary-General on Youth.

Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs on 1 December 2023

  • 2023 - Felipe Paullier, press release SG/A/2237

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. The transition from the Office of the Envoy on Youth to the United Nations Youth Office started on 1 January 2023 and is on track to be finalized by the third quarter of  2024.

 

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.