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Guterres to world youth: It’s time we took a seat ‘at your table’
24.06.2019 13:11 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
As of last week, while speaking within the UN-backed World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, and Youth Forum ‘Lisboa+21’ (Lissabon, Portugal), UN General Secretary António Guterres said older generations «failed to respond properly» to the climate emergency, but the young are «stepping up to the challenge» and taking the lead to slow the destructive pace of global warming, UN Radio reports.
It is to be admitted, the Conference comes 21 years after the adoption of the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes, and provides a place for national governments to talk about progress made with young people directly, and well as introducing new approaches to empowering youth in politics and decision-making.
As to Guterres, it is «not enough to listen to young people and provide a seat at the table we need to take a seat at your table».
«We need to create an enabling environment for young people, where they are seen not as subjects to be protected, but as citizens with equal rights, equal voices and equal influence, as full members of our societies and powerful agents for change,» he stressed.
As to the report, Guterres lauded the World Programme of Action for Youth, the focus of this weekend’s efforts in Portugal, saying that it was encouraging a wider focus on policy-making and programmes that are truly relevant to youth worldwide.
«Policies on gender are particularly important since we cannot build strong, just and resilient communities and societies without the full participation and leadership of half of their members,» he added.
Besides, Guterres also stressed he hopes many would be within New York this Sept, for not only the major Climate Action Summit, but also to help push along «more urgent and ambitious global action for implementation».
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