Seeking stronger global cooperation, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday called for giving the young people their rightful stake, safe space and role in decision-making, stressing that no nation can ensure youth empowerment alone.
"The bottom line is simple. We do not need to carry the future alone. We only need to give young people their rightful stake, safe space, and role in decision-making," he said, adding that the young people will choose wisely—for themselves, for the planet, and for collective future.
Prof Yunus made the remarks while delivering his speech at the high-level meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Program of Action for Youth at the UN Headquarters on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
The President of the General Assembly convened the high-level event that brought together UN Member States, young people, civil society, UN entities and other stakeholders.
They took stock of what has been achieved over the last 30 years, shared good practices and innovations for advancing the implementation of WPAY, identified current challenges and actionable solutions, charted the way forward through intergenerational collaboration.
The Chief Adviser said without global cooperation to dismantle barriers, ensure equity and foster intergenerational leadership, frustration may erupt into unrest that spreads quickly across their interconnected world, as glimpses of such events have already begun to appear.
At eighty-five, the Chief Adviser said, he feels the depth of today’s theme, “Accelerating global progress through intergenerational collaboration.”
Last year in Bangladesh, he said, witnessed the extraordinary power of youth.
"They rose with courage to end years of autocracy, reset our nation’s course, and entrusted me with the responsibility of steering reforms and democratic transition," Prof Yunus mentioned.
Around the world, he said, young people are recognized as agents of change. "Yet they are also the first to suffer from persisting inequalities, conflicts, climate change, protectionism, and the digital divide."
Above all, the Chief Adviser said, unemployment remains the gravest challenge.
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Youth unemployment is up to four times higher than adult unemployment, particularly in low-income countries. But, lasting global progress cannot be achieved without youth inclusion," he said.
Technology offers enormous promise for inclusion through innovation, Prof Yunus observed. "But its benefits must not be placed behind walls of greed."
"That is why in Bangladesh we have launched a National Youth Entrepreneur Policy to provide finance, skills, and market access, enabling young people to be job creators rather than job seekers," said the Chief Adviser.
He said they have also ensured youth participation in their independent reform commissions and introduced a National Policy Competition, to embed the voices of youth into the country’s democratic renewal.
