United Nations Youth Road Map Still Guides Action, Secretary-General Says on 30-Year Mark

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks to the high-level meeting on the thirtieth anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth, delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder, in New York today:

Thirty years ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth - a landmark international commitment to prioritize the rights, aspirations, and potential of young people. We come together now to mark real progress - and unfinished business.

Today's youth generation, by some measures the largest in history, and young people are leading on climate action, driving digital innovation, building local solutions and championing human rights.

Yet, too often, they are shut out of decisions, decisions that shape their lives and face barriers to education, to decent work, to health services and political participation. At the same time, violence, instability and shrinking civic space silence youth voices and place obstacles in the way of their meaningful contributions.

The Programme's 15 priority areas remain a blueprint for action - from education, employment and health to the environment, culture and participation. Its core truth endures: action for young people cuts across every issue - and young people are not just beneficiaries, they are drivers of change.

Today's commemoration - under the theme "Accelerating Global Progress through Intergenerational Collaboration" - is grounded in youth voices.

Nearly 75,000 young people from more than 180 countries shared their challenges and hopes through a strategic foresight exercise, coordinated by the United Nations Youth Office together with several other UN partners. These insights will offer valuable guidance for future action.

This anniversary builds too on decades of work to advance youth development and is now anchored in the Pact for the Future. The Pact's Working Group on Youth is already advancing commitments to mobilize financing, strengthen the UN Youth Fund and define principles for meaningful engagement.

Across the UN system, initiatives, such as the UN Youth Delegate Programme managed by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, are helping to institutionalize youth engagement, centering their voices in intergovernmental processes. Participation then is moving from promise to practice.

As we accelerate our work to realize the Sustainable Development Goals, let us spare no effort to make young people equal partners and equal decision-makers. By relying on their ideas, energy and leadership - a more just, peaceful and sustainable world is within reach. So, let's get there together.