Honourable Chair,

We have the honour to speak as the European Union Youth Delegates to the UN and represent the European youth in this debate.

Just ten days ago, the SDG summit was held in the GA to discuss the SDG's achievement and adopt the political declaration.

Although big steps have been taken, the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 urged a bold shift in our strategy towards the Agenda 2030, adopting a more ambitious, continuous and concerted action in the remaining seven years.

The current crisis jeopardizes prior progress. Russia’s unjustified aggression against Ukraine threatens fundamental human rights, especially for vulnerable groups. The environmental crisis such as the floods in Libya and the recent earthquakes in Morocco, Turkiye and Syria have deprived people of their homes, lives and dignity.

The current state of progress towards the goals is deeply concerning. SDG 4’s progress has stagnated, reversing gains made pre-Covid 19 pandemic. This means that too many children and young people worldwide are victims of inequality.

Education is the bedrock upon which sustainable societies are built. We, as youth, recognize its transformative power to break the cycle of poverty, foster social development, and spark meaningful change in our community. Education unlocks countless possibilities, solutions and ideas on how to tackle the 17 goals.

To guarantee equitable education access, we advocate for comprehensive social development policies that prioritize educational reforms. We need investments in infrastructure and innovative teaching methods that adapt to the changing world.  We have to educate the educators. It is important to provide digital education to girls and women who are the most affected by inequalities, for them to finally be engaged in every sector of society.

Moreover, youth are vital partners in the educational process. Engaging us, and with us, in shaping educational policies is critical. Our perspective must be harnessed to drive progress and ensure that education aligns with the aspirations of the new generations, preparing us for the 21st century’s challenges and beyond.

In the European Union, we are dedicated to amplifying efforts for quality education. We aim to foster international collaboration and share best practices. We stand prepared to support SDG-aligned initiatives, envisioning a world where education is a beacon of hope, a catalyst for progress and a universal right.

To conclude, echoing the words of the Irish Prime Minister before the adoption of the declaration*, the speeches that the youth delegates made today, are “more than a piece of paper,” they are a call to action that comes from every young person from all over the world, that urges all of you to take into account our proposals and solutions.

Thank you.

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The future of the world now lies in the hands of adults, but it belongs to us young people.  With every catastrophe, crisis and tragedy young people suffer, the future suffers.

Armed conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and multiple other human-caused and natural tragedies hinder our progress towards a better future.

If the current trends continue, almost 600 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and only one-third of countries will have halved their national poverty levels by 2030. Over 4 billion people remain entirely socially unprotected. Many of the world’s vulnerable population groups, including the young and the elderly, remain uncovered by statutory social protection programmes.

The European Union remains committed to bolstering national social protection systems in partner countries. EU's coordinated and comprehensive approach represents a significant and constructive contribution towards enhancing social protection, fostering the creation of decent employment opportunities for all, | and advancing the objectives of the Agenda 2030.

The call to tackle poverty | is for every country in the world regardless of GDP or HDI. Poverty has many faces and often it is the people who cannot work, like children, youth, pensioners and people with disabilities that face the consequences in the form of lack of basic needs or inequality in opportunity for welfare. 

Since 2012, we have observed a decrease in democracy around the world. To tackle global problems we need free civil space and protection of people's voices. We need to bolster the facilitation of a safe environment for Human Rights Defenders and civic activists and urge for a resolute response to the cases of reprisals or threats of reprisals against them and those who cooperate, seek to cooperate, or have cooperated with them.

It is hard to imagine the number of people that we are talking about. And it may be even more difficult to imagine the scale of these challenges if they are not part of our daily lives.  But we are not far from experiencing them first-hand. Failing to address global problems and meet our targets could lead to mass extinction. This is not a call to panic, but a call to action.

Thank you.