YOUNG PEOPLE'S POTENTIAL MUST BE HARNESSED TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, BAN KI-MOON SAYS

YOUNG PEOPLE'S POTENTIAL MUST BE HARNESSED TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, BAN KI-MOON SAYS
New York, Aug 12 2007 2:00PM
Young people have the energy and idealism necessary to achieve development goals and their potential must be cultivated, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, marking International Youth Day.

"Approaching the midpoint of the race to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we need their participation more than ever," Mr. Ban said of the world's 1.2 billion young people.

The theme of year's commemoration is "Be Seen, Be Heard: Youth Participation for Development," highlighting the contributions young people can make to better their world.

"They are valuable and committed partners in the global effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty and hunger in half by 2015," Mr. Ban said. "They remain at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS. And they bring fresh, innovative thinking to longstanding development concerns."

It is crucial that young people's promise is recognized, he noted.

"Despite growing recognition of their needs, young people in many parts of the world continue to be marginalized and ignored," Mr. Ban said.

He pointed out that they disproportionately face poverty, and the young are three more times likely than adults to be unemployed: while youth comprise one quarter of the world's labour force, they also constitute half of all unemployed people.

"It is high time that we stopped viewing our young people as part of the problem and started cultivating their promise and potential," the Secretary-General said. "On this International Youth Day, let us all resolve to invest in and protect our most valuable resource, and give young men and women a fair and full stake in our society and in its success."

Events celebrating the day kicked off on 10 August, with 200 youth from around the world gathering at UN Headquarters to showcase their contributions to society, including youth gymnastics, circus art routine

The 4th annual World Youth Assembly will be held at UN Headquarters from today until next Wednesday.

2007-08-12 00:00:00.000

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