Young People Must Be ‘Full-fledged Partners in All Decisions That Shape the Future’, Deputy Secretary-General Tells World Scout Conference

18 August 2024

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks to the forty-third World Scout Conference Intergenerational Town Hall on Trends of the World, in Cairo today:

It’s a great pleasure to deliver this keynote at such an important session on the trends of the world. The first trend coming to my mind are the increasingly complex challenges our world faces. There are more conflicts than at any time since the Second World War. Our planet is suffering the deadly effects of climate change. We have lost trust in our institutions, and one another.

This trend is no more positive when it comes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Only 17 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals’ targets are on track, with nearly half showing minimal progress, and worse still, over one third of the SDGs have stalled or even gotten worse.

Gender equality is a litmus test for how far off our goals we really are: at the current rate of progress, it may take another 12 generations to achieve gender equality. Our world simply cannot wait that long.

The second trend that I am seeing is about youth. Over the last 30 years, very little has changed in terms of youth representation in politics.  Young people are not often enough in the rooms where important decisions are being made.

More than half of the world’s population is under 30. Yet, less than 3 per cent of members of Parliament are under 30. With young women making up less than 1 per cent of members of Parliament. Despite global commitments to improving education outcomes, reducing violence and increasing employment rates, many young people remain out of school, unemployed and vulnerable to extreme forms of sexual and gender-based violence.

Indeed, we cannot renegotiate the world of tomorrow on our terms without the input of young people, when the world of tomorrow will belong to young people. We need to reverse these trends. Through one of our initiatives at the United Nations, the Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women and girls, we have witnessed first hand how young people are building a more equitable world where everyone can live free from violence.

Through creative self-expression, peer-to-peer learning, advocacy and digital technology, more than 8 million young people and activists around the world are driving meaningful and sustainable change and creating a better future for all. Your generation can be the one to end violence against women and girls by starting in the home.

Your three impact statements align perfectly with this vision, articulating exactly what we need to accelerate progress over the next decade: a peaceful, inclusive and sustainable world that is shaped by its young people. They represent a pressing call to action that all of us should heed. And they inspire us to consider a new way for youth participation.

Participation that is diverse and inclusive: They call for all initiatives to be inclusive of young people in meaningful ways and in all their diversity.

Participation that is accessible and safe: The participation of young people needs to be fully accessible and safe. Promoting peace, preventing violence or defending human rights cannot come at the cost of young people’s lives and security any longer.

Participation that is meaningful: Young people must be engaged in meaningful and effective ways, as full-fledged partners in all decisions that shape the future. From conceptualization to implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. It means co-creation from beginning to end.

These impact statements are an excellent path forward, but we also need a mindset shift. It’s time to let go of social and cultural beliefs that portray young people as inexperienced and indecisive.   You, as Scouts, are the perfect examples of young change-makers leading efforts to combat the world’s most pressing challenges.

The World Organization of Scout Movements is one of the most important youth movements in the world. You put youth empowerment first. You encourage global solidarity in the face of our greatest challenges. You work hard in your communities for the 2023 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Above all, you are the flagbearers for the timeless values of responsibility, diversity and being a force for positive change in the world.

More than ever, we need structures and platforms like the Scouts Movement to actively advocate for a world in which the human rights of every young person are realized. A world that ensures every young person is empowered to achieve their full potential. A world that recognizes young people’s agency, resilience and positive contributions as agents of change.

Young people are often the minds behind the greatest outside-of-the-box thinking. And we need those ideas and innovations to help restore faith in institutions. The upcoming Summit of the Future is an important opportunity to mend eroded trust and reform multilateralism.

I was deeply inspired by the 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference in support of the Summit of the Future that gathered last May in Nairobi where many excellent ideas were on display. Almost half of the more than 2,100 participants were under the age of 34.

Young people spoke, and the message was unmistakable: the youth of today are contributing, are deeply interested, and must have a say in the future we are shaping. Now it is time to listen.