By Sadiya Hamza
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on Monday, urged UN member states to do more to create jobs for young people and to support young entrepreneurs so they could create jobs for others.
He made the call at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth a Forum at the UN headquarters.
Ban said “we need the power of young people all over the world in rich and poor countries.
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“In recent years, over two and a half million more children in affluent countries fell into poverty, bringing the total above 76 million.
“We need global solidarity to end poverty everywhere. It is not enough to create wealth; we have to make sure that economic prosperity is inclusive and shared.
“The terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in April 2014; the terrorists have since intensified their violence against young people.
“They are using very young girls to carry out suicide attacks, I have strongly condemned these atrocities.’’
The UN boss said military response was essential but that alone would not solve the problem.
He added that “we need safe schools, we need to protect human rights and we must address underlying causes, including poverty, discrimination, resource scarcity and poor governance.
“This is true beyond Nigeria and its affected neighbours.’’
According to Ban, children are at risk in Central African Republic, Gaza, Syria, Iraq and South Sudan.
“There is a great deal of turmoil in our world but we have values, strength and resolve to fight for peace and progress.
“I count on all young people to be part of our historic 70th anniversary of the UN as global citizens who act for our common future.
“The cowards attacking civilians may invoke the name of religion but they only bring terrible shame to any faith they claim to represent.’’
Ban said young people could speak out as never before, stressing that “you can denounce injustice and reach hands across cultures and communities.
“We may not agree on every issue but we can all agree that violence only leads to more sufferings.’’
The UN chief added that he had met many inspiring young people confronting serious problems and had proposed a set of six elements that were critical to sustainable development namely: Dignity, People, Prosperity, Planet, Partnership and Justice.
He said “all of these matter to youth; dignity is a world where young people can get good jobs.
“Prosperity is meaningful when we fight inequality which affects too many young people, especially young women.
“We need partnerships because our world is interconnected, we cannot succeed alone.
“Justice demands governments that listen and respond to all people, including youths.
“Therefore, I am counting on the 193-member states to adopt a bold, ambitious agenda at their special summit in September.’’
He then urged member states to include youths in their delegation. (NAN)