UN’s Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has announced that the theme of this year’s International Youth Day will be “Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future”. This reflects the belief that our societal, economic, and environmental issues most impact the young as they are the ones who will be affected by the actions for decades to come. They, however, also have the chance to make a difference now as well as continue that momentum into the future. Ki-moon pointed out how the younger generations have been taking an active role in the sustainability movement and encourages that this continue.
Climate change, meanwhile, continues to compromise economies and threaten tremendous upheaval, saddling young people everywhere with an unjust “ecological debt”. This is a potentially crushing burden. At the same time, I am encouraged by the contributions that young people have made to the debate on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Their views and proposals can help build the momentum necessary to “seal the deal” in Copenhagen later this year.
Tags: Ban Ki-moon, economy, environment, International Youth Day, society, UN