As prepared for delivery

Dear Mr. Intigam Babayev, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports,

Dear UN Colleagues, 

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed delegates and members of the international community,

Eziz gencler! (Dear youth),

It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you all today at the opening of the first SDGs Youth Summer School in Azerbaijan! I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Azerbaijan for being our longtime partner in projects and initiatives designed to advance youth participation in global democracy building and political processes.

I am heartened to see such a large and enthusiastic group of young people who have expressed interest in global affairs and world diplomacy –all under the overarching theme of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Sustainable Development Goals is the world’s most ambitious agenda set to transform the lives of people and our planet. Three years ago, this global blueprint agenda for development was signed and agreed upon by world leaders in New York, and young people played a vital role in shaping its priorities through advocacy and participation in online and local consultations.

The new Agenda for development aims to address the key development challenges of our time, from poverty and inequalities to hunger and disease to violence and conflict to climate change and disaster risks. It also aims to leave no one behind and to change the way we live, work, and do business, so that we can build sustainable, inclusive, and peaceful societies.

As UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner once said, ‘Young people are critical agents of change and innovators’¸ thus to ensure the success of the 2030 Agenda, we need all young people on board – ‘all of you, young activists, innovators, disruptors and trailblazers’. 

In Azerbaijan, UNDP’s cooperation with the Government on introducing the youth to global processes has an exciting history. In 2013, we jointly organised the first-ever International Model United Nations Security Council Conference, gathering youth delegates from 15 Security Council Member States. It was a great commemoration of Azerbaijan’s non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council. In 2014, we jointly worked to host the first Global Forum on Youth Policies, one of the main milestones in the global youth agenda, bringing more than 700 participants from all over the world. Baku Commitments to Youth Policies, adopted during the Global Forum, acted as a fundamental instrument for further global youth activities.

Together with the UN partners, we engaged young people of Azerbaijan in public discussions around ‘The Future we want’ – namely, the Sustainable Development Goals. We still have much to do and I am confident that we will work together to achieve our shared goals –now in the framework of the new project that UNDP and the Ministry of Youth and Sport have launched together. The two-year project is to help create new platforms to support active youth engagement in global policy debates. It is this new platform that will bring us closer towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It is no secret that the success of this new Global Agenda will very much depend on strong partnerships between young people and all stakeholders so that the challenges faced by youth are addressed, their contributions recognised and their voices heard at all levels of decision-making.  Young people are catalysers of progress. Their knowledge, reach and innovative solutions are essential if sustainable development is to be realised.

In the context of our work with youth, UNDP and the Government of Azerbaijan seek to leverage the power of volunteerism and volunteers to implement the SDGs. Volunteerism, in all of its forms, is fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and leaving no one behind, and you are the best example of how well it works!

As we are launching the SDGs Youth Summer School today, we hope it will be an overly exciting and impactful experience for you to remember! Today, you will wear the shoes of politicians and act like real diplomats of the United Nations. Over the course of next three days, the Summer School programme will help you master to perfection the important skills of persuasion, communication and decision-making and also, being responsible for the decision you make. I wish you all the best of luck in this hard but honorable task. Good luck, “Distinguished Delegates”! Ugurlar, gencler! (Good Luck!)

Thank you! Chokh sagh olun!