Delegate: Mr. Unnainmäki
State: Finland
13. Mr. Unnainmäki (Finland), speaking as a youth delegate, said that not enough had been done to stop the human rights violations occurring in conflict areas around the globe. The world seemed to have become too familiar with failure and too numb to the loss of human life. Yet the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) had shown that progress and development were possible. Few young Finns knew about those Goals, but Finnish youth were unequivocal about the kind of world that they wanted: a fair and equal world, free from the threats of climate change and violence.
14. Specifically they called for fair and non-discriminatory labour practices and for all business to be green business, and they fully supported the HeForShe campaign. Studies had shown that lack of social and economic opportunities, not ideology and religion, were the main drivers of radicalization among young people. Yet had communities been built in a way [*4*] that accepted youth and encouraged them to realize their full potential?
15. Young people must be involved in decisionmaking for progress to be permanent. In the light of the 2014 Colombo Declaration on Youth: Mainstreaming Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, Member States should explore how best to pursue an inclusive global dialogue with youth. Young persons, especially girls, must be empowered to bring their voices and experiences to the United Nations, including by facilitating the participation of youth representatives from developing countries through the United Nations Youth Fund. The role of youth in peace and rebuilding processes, not just conflict, needed to be recognized and developed by the Security Council. Initiatives such as the My World survey and the recent appointment of the Secretary-General’s first Envoy on Youth had aroused the interest of young people; now was the time to consider how best to harness the great potential that they represented.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/69/SR.3
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/69/SR.3, 8 October 2014, p. 3, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/finland-2014/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-193439-0.