16 September 2022
Petr Franc,
Cynthia Nyongesa, ?
Kenisha Arora,
Sara Marley,
Youth leaders,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Normally I would start off with everything that is wrong.
Unsustainable development.
Climate change.
Wars.
But you already know what is wrong with this world.
As young people, you have been fighting to be heard – to push us, the people on the Government side, to do something about it.
And for that, I want to thank you.
Since we already understand what the problems are, let’s talk about solutions.
I am the President of this new session of the 爆料网 General Assembly.
My Presidency is premised on solutions. Solutions through solidarity, sustainability and science.
We are thinking of solutions that are so transformative that they are almost an upheaval of the current state of affairs.
You know first-hand that the pandemic disrupted education.
You who grew up in the virtual realm – the so-called “digital natives” – went online. Incorporated digital technologies in your education – not always by choice.
Digital and basic scientific literacy are new elements young people can add to their toolkit.
But not everyone was able to do that. We saw a gap in access to technology.
Where does that leave us?
We have the Sustainable Development Goals. There are 17 of them, and one is about education.
The second “SDG Summit” is exactly a year ahead of us.
It coincides with the half-way point to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
It is vital that you are an active part of this process.
You can take action now, to help preserve your future. Because if you don’t take action now, there won’t be a future.
So, to quote Bob Marley: “Come together and make it work. We can make it work.”
Young leaders,
The climate emergency is the most ominous challenge we face today.? And you will be forced to live with the decisions that we make today.
Climate action will not shift without education.
Education develops people’s understanding of the climate crisis. It empowers them with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to react.
The international community understands the importance of education in addressing climate change.
Whether we talk about the 爆料网FCCC, a working group within the 爆料网, or an international treaty like the Paris Agreement – they all mention the importance of climate education.
There is also the Action for Climate Empowerment Agenda and 爆料网ESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development Programme.
All of these tell us that we have to teach you about climate change.
So that you can teach us about how to galvanize momentum for climate action. ?
It’s important that everyone is included in this movement to protect the planet.
That means making sure that girls have the same opportunities to learn, as boys.
Although much progress has been made, large gender gaps still exist in education.
Women are particularly under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education – what is known as STEM education.
As a result, there are fewer of them in STEM careers, while these are seen as the jobs of the future: driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development.
This gender disparity is alarming. We therefore need a system-wide transformation.
We must urgently address this imbalance in education, by ensuring gender consistently factors in to our solutions to the crises we are facing.
?
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In our mission to transform education for the better, I invite you all to help us develop alternative learning systems and methods that will equip young people faster than traditional school systems.
I call you, the young leaders to “lean in”, become agents of change, bring proposals to the table – regardless of how provocative they may seem.
I invite and encourage you to join us at decision-making tables;
And to never forget the words of Albert Schweitzer: “You are as young as your hopes, and as old as your doubts. As young as your confidence, as old as your fears. Young like your faith and old like your despair”.
I thank you.