Speech

UN Resident Coordinator Remarks on International Youth Day 2024

12 August 2024

On International Youth Day 2024, we celebrate the power of youth and digital innovation.

REMARKS delivered by

Mr. Gustavo Gonzalez, UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines

at the occasion of

International Youth Day Celebration

August 12, 2024 | Time

Clark, Pampanga

Secretary of the Department of Education, Honorable Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara

Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Commission, Honorable Ronald Gian Carlo L. Cardema

Senior representatives from the government of the Philippines

Representatives from the diplomatic and international community.

Representatives from the civil society, and the private sector.

And most importantly, to the youth movement.

Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat! A good day to everyone and Happy International Youth Day!

I would like to extend my congratulations to the Department of Education, National Youth Commission, UN Philippines, and to everyone involved in the organization of this event.

And in fact, this is the first time that our three organizations are jointly organizing this important day.

As we all know, youth[1] accounts for 28% of the country's population. It means around 30 million people of the age 18-24 years old range. This is the largest generation of young people the history of the Philippines.

This means you take up a huge space in nation-building and your voices matter the most.

For that reason, UN Philippines is consistent in pursuing the Youth 2030 Agenda as we recognize the importance of our investments to the youth.

For this year’s theme, we are highlighting your potential in bringing about meaningful change to their communities through technology. As “digital natives”, your clicks turn into progress.

On a global scale, we note at least 75%[2] in your sector are online which represent a critical asset for any digital transformation.

Your understanding of technology is essential as we navigate towards a future-proof world.

However, we have to admit we also face challenges as in many other countries in the region.

The 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report on Technology in Education[3] in the Southeast Asia reveals that the Philippines is catching up in harnessing technology as a partner for education.

In the BARMM which I visited a few weeks ago, the DepEd[4] reports that only 54% of Senior High Schools have access to Internet – which is the lowest in the region.

These are some of the gaps affecting our youth that we intend to address with durable solutions.

One of UNDP’s development pillars following the UN Youth 2030 Strategy looks at enhancing the digital skills of the young people.

UNICEF also supports the establishment of Youth Development Alliances in the local level which provide constant opportunities for the youth in education, employment, and entrepreneurship, among others.

The upcoming Summit of the Future which will take place in September of this year in New York at the margins of the UN General Assembly is another platform wherein your voices can be amplified as it puts special emphasis on collective actions that will narrow down the global digital divide.

As you may know, a Global Digital Compact and this compact establishes that by 2030, the remaining 2.6 billion people around the world are connected to the Internet and at least 80% of the populations develop basic digital skills – particularly the women and the youth.

We must that confess that our planet and its people are facing unprecedented challenges. And many of those challenges require a fundamental change in our attitudes as we cannot continue doing business as usual.

Someone said that when we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

This is an opportunity for innovation, for creativity, for transformative solutions where the youth have a major role.

Our role as United Nations is to expand the space for innovation, is to mobilize global youth knowledge for transformation, is to secure your seat at the big decision-making table.

Make the most of this opportunity. Happy International Youth Day!

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