We are witnessing in real time the fragility of our planet and its people. We have a crisis. Big trauma, like this one can really shake the world at the highest level. We have seen things in COVID-19 like mental health and depression and the marginalization of certain groups in society that are very terrifying. This scourge drains many resources: from young people, from the labour force, from the country’s economy. The existing problems and the existing fragilities have been exposed and will be
exacerbated. There are so many issues to worry about, whether it's climate change, whether it's politics and the fact that things don't seem to be going towards a better future, really. These are all causes that affect me and they're central to my well-being. There are outside pressures that young people are facing right now that no generation has really had to face before. The world right now is putting profits, it's putting exploitation, it's putting inequality, it's putting marginalization at
the center of decisions. COVID-19 has really exacerbated the inequity that we knew was already there. We live with the knowledge that our future might not be as bright as our parents'. Youth feel disempowered and I think part of that is not knowing how they can contribute to dealing with the ills that they see around society, whether it be violence, whether it be crime, corruption. At the age of 14 or 15-years-old I didn't know about my rights. I didn't know that I have to serve others. I didn'
t know that I can also be part of the society. I can also take decisions for my country, for my society, for the world. Educating youth about rule of law, about justice, is very important. Education is a way in which we can strengthen human capital development of everybody. Think of education as something that is building a young person's identity. The most complex job you can have in life is educating a person. Because it's about unlocking the potential. Nobody is born corrupt or an excellent c
itizen. It's really a matter of learning. It's really a matter of being exposed to tools and to experiences that will change your mind and then will change your heart and then will change your behaviour. It's about provoking through knowledge awareness, about what's happening around them, especially now and it's about, through awareness, provoking action. Education is power. Education is love. Education is access. It empowers you. It allows you to have a voice, the confidence, the courage you ne
ed to step up to the challenge. Youth are the movers and shakers of our societies. This generation will occupy the positions of power in 20 years. The cliché is they're the future, but they're more than the future, they're also the present. Youth can move the world with their ideas, with their passion, with their energy, with the different way they see things. They can bring in innovative ideas. They have the audacity to try different things. Technology has allowed young people to be engaged in
the world around them in ways that they've never been able to be engaged before. The question is not whether they will be engaged. The question is will we listen to them when they speak? We need youth to be fully themselves and fully involved with problem-solving today and fully active participants of society for the world to go anywhere. Youth must have the basic rights: right to health, right to nutrition, right to well-being and right to education. Youth have to have a place around the table
with other generations, because we will change the world together. We have to find a way to involve directly, youth in the processes we are running. Youth can move the world if given the opportunity, if given the space, if given the trust, and if encouraged and supported. In Africa we have demographic power, 65% percent under the age of 30. That demographic power means mobilization, means voting power means young people can vote anyone in and anyone out. No matter how insignificant they think th
ey are, they really have the power to impact. How you approach students needs to be tailored to their levels. We often hear that teachers are looking for such help so that they can be more effective in their classrooms. The Global Citizen Education for the Rule of Law programme is a programme that brings together the expertise of UNESCO in the area of education and its knowledge and reach, but also the expertise within UNODC on areas of crime prevention and criminal justice. UNESCO and UNODC hav
e worked together to develop a guide for teachers in how they would handle the rule of law in their curricula. What I think is really good, is the way you make things interactive. So it's not about the teacher giving a lesson on a theme; It's really about building something together and maybe stimulating creativity. The whole process is getting people to experience the good about doing the right things. It's important for us to use these instruments, to transform them and to translate them into
our national ecosystems and to make sure that they become practical. Those tools are very important for youth. These efforts under the leadership of the United Nations have begun to bear fruit, and I think that everyone is now working for stability and security. The more we create those spaces, the more we can have solution that can bring results to the global challenges we're facing. You grow up in a world and inequality is all you know. And then you realize, wait, there is a system that gives
you the right to fight, to be equal, it's embedded, which is the rule of law. This is how communities, societies, become stronger. Our collective responsibility is to do our best to make these pieces of the puzzle possible for all children in the world. When the kinds of opportunities that we have to transform our society through what we learn, when that becomes equitable, we'll live in a different world. Justice will spread all over the world. The equality, the human rights, the security, the f
reedom, the expression, all those things might be, not a dream, but reality. If it were considered mandatory that you would learn about how to promote the rule of law, I think it would have a profound effect, transformative effect. The world would look much better if you have a more just world where rule of law prevails. We want you with us, thinking together, acting together, building the futures we want, together. When you flourish, you serve and when you serve you're fulfilling your destiny.
In times when it's difficult, remember that there is a path for you and that all you have to do is walk it. One step at a time, keeping your head forward, just keep walking. Youth Can Move the World Learn more at
Comments