Delegate: Ms. Tatia Dolidze
17. Ms. Dolidze (Georgia), speaking as a youth delegate, said that youth had a role to play in the journey towards sustainable development, as beneficiaries, partners and agents of positive change.
18. In Georgia, the biggest challenge in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals was ensuring that no one was left behind, given the fact that a significant portion of Georgian territory was under [*4*] Russian occupation. She described a young Georgian who, as a boy, had been kidnapped in South Ossetia, yet had survived and after his release had gone on to win a medal for his country at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The international community should foster the hopes rather than the fears of young people living in conflictaffected areas. In its implementation of the Goals, her country ensured that the 400,000 internally displaced persons in its territory also benefitted.
19. As a youth delegate, she had spearheaded a campaign to popularize vocational education, towards the implementation of Goals 1, 4 and 8. A flashmob raising awareness of pedestrian safety in crosswalks had also targeted Goals 3 and 11.
20. Among remaining challenges, employment was a major concern to Georgian youth. The majority of unemployed young people had completed higher education, indicating that the natural link from education to employment had been broken. Although more women than men had advanced degrees, women’s unemployment rates were higher. Gender imbalances went beyond economic discrimination; harmful traditional practices and sexual violence were still common. Regrettably, discrimination against persons with disabilities was also still the norm among Georgian youth.
21. The youth of Georgia and the world must come together to combat the darkness of animosity and fear, social injustice, gender inequality and most importantly, ignorance and indifference.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/71/SR.3
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/71/SR.3, 5 October 2016, p. 3-4, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/georgia-2016-2/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-193008-0.