Global youth sets agenda for UN Security Council

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- "Will the UN do anything soon to stop the fight between the two Koreas?" a Chinese girl asked. "What can the UN do to help Somalia?," a Somalian girl questioned. "How can you keep young people in school and keep them from terrorist action?" an Italian-American teenager wanted to know.
These and other questions were raised at the UN's first Security Council Youth Event 1.0 themed "Your world, your future: voices of a new generation" held here on Tuesday.
Around 170 children between the age of 13 and 21 submitted their answer to the question "What is the most vital challenge to peace and security facing your generation?"
It's important for the Council to hear from young people, talk with them and benefit from their wisdom as we do our work everyday, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told Xinhua.
Entries arrived from over 90 countries across the globe, in a dozen of languages. Some were written by hand, some were emailed, some were recorded on tape.
Among the three "most compelling" submissions was the request of a 17-year old girl from Venezuela if world leaders could " exchange a weapon for a smile" and if the Council could stop to finance war.
"Instead, finance our future by providing us health, education, and security," she said in a videomessage.
A 20-year old girl from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who was also among the winners, called on the Council to bring back durable peace to her country.
"Once durable peace is achieved, we will have the opportunity to think like other youths, to fulfill ourselves morally, physically, intellectually," she said.
A 17-year old boy from Tunisia enunciated that "terrorism is the most serious threat to international peace and security today. "
Young people don't just want talk, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon, who also attended the event, said, and referred to the text of a T-shirt of a 17-year-old girl at a recent climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico, stating: "You have been negotiating my whole life, don't tell me you need more time.""The message these young people send us today is very simple and direct: act, deliver, and match words with deeds," the UN chief said.
A girl from Beirut told the Council that she couldn't understand why a war can last so long, and that the most vital challenge to international peace and security facing her generation is "the inheritance of a hateful outlook toward another culture or population from a previous generation."
A 19-year old Czeck girl wrote from Cameroon that "ineffective governance" poses the most essential challenge.
Other issues that were touched on during the session included tackling cyber terrorism, climate change to end poverty and conflict, overcoming water shortages and religious and political polarization of the world.
"I, too, grew up in war. I, too, saw my village destroyed," Ban said.
"Listening to the voices of these young people, I felt very strongly that I could have been one of them," he noted.
"Though I missed some classes at school because of the event today, it was worthy to be here," 14-year-old Yuqing Wang, who moved to New York from China last year, told Xinhua.
In an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world's youth in overcoming the challenges facing humankind, the UN proclaimed the International Year of Youth, which started on Aug. 12, 2010.

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