Daniel del Valle Blanco
Youth Policy Advisor at the United Nations
For too long, in the political sphere, the voice of youth has been ignored. Today, we can no longer afford and allow this to happen, as the current generation is likely to be one of the most educated and passionate in decades. It is obvious that young people cannot achieve the necessary progress on their own. We have the strength, the energy and the dreams, and we want to be the “Ambassadors of Change” to build a better world. We need to be guided, encouraged and empowered.
The 2030 Agenda includes youth empowerment. In practice, it does not have to be achieved only by the older generation, we need to achieve a good mix between the experience of “old hands” and the strength, energy and new ideas of our generation. If young people want to actively participate in solving local and global problems, we must be very committed, bold and hard-working people willing to pay the price of being prepared in national and international affairs or in areas related to real problems, e.g. conflicts, wars, gender equality, etc.
When we talk about faith and beliefs, we must recognise that there is a great variety of religions. If we want to live in peace, we must respect other people’s beliefs, seeing other human beings in need and with struggles, ideas and good wishes for prosperity and peace.
The global migration crisis needs to be addressed and we should have open arms. It is likely that even some of our relatives were people who had to live in other parts of the world in order to lead a normal life. We need to introduce good policies to help them. For example, places to help these people integrate in the country. Integration is a serious problem that also concerns refugee women because of cultural differences. The only viable way forward is to address these problems with tolerance, patience, respect and through dialogue.
Another important issue is gender equality. A mistake some people make is that in theory they seek equality, but in practice some of them become activists for the superiority of one group or another. This must be avoided, again through respect, mutual understanding and dialogue. Today we have a unique opportunity to get it right and make historic progress in building just and inclusive societies. The young generation is ready for this, without prejudice and without imposing artificial solutions, such as quotas on merit, competences and qualifications.
Last but not least, today we are facing an unprecedented climate crisis, as recently confirmed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We must act now, without delay, and we must act collectively. Young people have been very active in raising awareness of the issue. Let’s turn it now into a campaign for action and start now at the upcoming COP26 Conference. Some say it may be our last great opportunity to address the climate crisis. Indeed it is. And perhaps each of us can make a list of 5 things we can do better, including making our voice heard and letting our political leaders know that this is no time for delays, forgetfulness or divisions. This is the time for urgent, bold and united action. Young people are poised to be the generation of change agents. They just need to be heard and given space for action.
In conclusion, I truly believe that countries should invest more in young people, as we ARE THE PRESENT, NOT THE FUTURE and we need support because there is a clear impact of youth working for a better world.
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