Delegate: Ms. Paige Burton
17. Ms. Burton (Australia), speaking as a youth delegate, said that young people contributed to humankind’s shared future not only as a useful economic resource, but also because they offered a nuanced perception of the challenges facing the world and could make intelligent contributions to public discourse. Young people were as diverse and complex as adults and should therefore be treated in the same way. Similarly, it was false to separate youth issues from adult ones, as young people were affected by the [*4*] same issues and faced many of the same barriers and inequalities as adults.
18. Many young people were unable see themselves reflected in those in power and felt disconnected from the decisions made. They did, however, consider themselves to be members of a global community and realized that the world’s major challenges went beyond national borders. With support, young people could lead the way to a fair and just future in which all persons were free and equal, but the only way forward was as a community. She called on Member States to create such a community in which young people could take ownership of the journey to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and feel celebrated, supported, engaged, and powerful.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/72/SR.2
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/72/SR.2, 2 October 2017, p. 3-4, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/australia-2017/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-192755-0.