Delegate: Ms. Todorova
78. Ms. Todorova (Bulgaria), speaking as a youth delegate, in a pre-recorded video statement, said that intergenerational dialogue was just as important as international dialogue for tackling current challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated that any issue could be resolved through trust and cooperation. In Bulgaria, the main priorities of young people were access to quality education, health and climate change. While COVID-19 had wreaked havoc across the generations in terms of physical health, its impact on youth was especially damaging in terms of development and overall well-being. Young people in Bulgaria considered that education and mental health had suffered the most as a consequence of the pandemic.
79. Education must be inclusive, equitable and of sufficient quality, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4. Students were not currently provided with all of the necessary tools to navigate the complex health-related and environmental challenges that they faced. Her delegation therefore strongly supported the training of educational specialists to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to integrate innovation and civic and environmental issues into curriculums.
80. Ambitious and binding commitments were required to tackle the impacts of climate change and pollution, which were major threats to health and well-being. Young people should be considered the designers of a sustainable future and invited to contribute to decision-making processes across national governments. Cooperation was necessary to ensure inclusive and innovative educational policies and health systems and the implementation of climate commitments, while amplifying the voices of young people in the international system.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/76/SR.3
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/76/SR.3, 1 October 2021, p. 10, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/bulgaria-2021/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-191032-0.