(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM)) This generation of young people € the largest the world has ever seen € has a historic opportunity to end poverty, combat climate change, create jobs and fight injustice, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a Youth Forum at UN Headquarters in New York as he called on the participants to get involved in shaping a future sustainable development agenda.
"Some of you may be focused on your studies. Some of you may be thinking about your careers. I am going to be honest. It is rough out there," Mr. Ban said at the 2015 Time for Global Action Youth Forum, organised by the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Council President, Martin Sajdik, also addressed the meeting, as did the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi.
Today, there are 1.8 billion young people, representing one quarter of the world's population. Many struggle to find work, and are often hit hardest in conflict. The Secretary-General says that it is time now to see this huge cohort as a force of change that harbours ingenuity and creativity to help solve the world's most daunting challenges.
"2015 is not just another year, it is a chance to change the course of history," Mr. Ban said, as he emphasised that this is the "first generation with the potential to end poverty and the last generation to avoid worst effects of climate change." "It may be very hard to see what is happening beyond your borders. There are many people who are hungry, thirsty and sick, and who cannot go to school. They are your brothers and sisters. This is why the UN is promoting sustainable development," he added.
This year marks the end of implementation of the landmark UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which world leaders agreed on 15 years ago. There has been significant progress in meeting the targets. For example, global poverty has been halved well ahead of the 2015 deadline; in developing countries, 90 percent of children now enjoy primary education; the number of people lacking access to improved drinking water has halved, and the fight against malaria and tuberculosis has shown results, according to the UN.
But challenges persist and with the deadline of the MDGs approaching this year, the UN will craft a new set of targets known as the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Today's Youth Forum is a way to invite young people to get involved on the issues that matter to them, from job security to education. Globally, 73 million young people are looking for work and many more are trapped in exploitative jobs. In recent years, more than two and a half million more children in affluent countries fell into poverty, bringing the total above 76 million.
Children and adolescents bear the brunt of some of the world's deadliest conflicts. In Nigeria last April, 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram. In Pakistan in December, terrorists killed 132 children at school and the same day in Yemen, more than a dozen schoolgirls were killed in a car bombing. Children are also at risk in the Central African Republic, Gaza, Syria, Iraq and South Sudan.
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