Delegate: Mr. Prommoon
51. Mr. Prommoon (Thailand), speaking as a youth delegate, said that much had been achieved: child mortality rates had fallen, life expectancy had gone up and young people were more educated than ever before. The world in general had become a less violent place. The progress was, however, not fast enough. The way to speed up the process of change was to empower children and develop their rights. Like almost every other country, Thailand had acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols. Yet, in the face of the fact that young people accounted for half those unemployed in the world and half those newly infected with HIV/AIDS, promises must be matched by action.
52. If the Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality was not achieved by 2015, 4.6 million people would have been deprived of their right to life. It was the duty of the international community to provide children with basic services such as immunization, nutrition and sanitation. A strong family was also crucial to the development of adolescents. His Government had formulated a national youth policy for the years 2002-2011, emphasizing the role of the family.
53. Although young people were, by and large, better educated than ever, unequal access to education was still a glaring problem in many societies. Proper investment in education must be made in every country: the best way to advance a nation was by its possession of a large pool of people equipped with the moral consciousness of responsible citizenship, along with the requisite knowledge and skills. Greater investment was also needed to enable young people to get involved in the global economy. Entrepreneurial and vocational training was required. Access to microfinance should be provided.
54. Young people needed to be involved in the decision-making process. All States should therefore include youth delegates in their delegations to the General Assembly.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/62/SR.16
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/62/SR.16, 18 October 2007, p. 9, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/thailand-2007/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-194519-0.