Discursul de la ONU

Va promisesem mai de mult discursul pe care l-am tinut saptamana trecuta la ONU. Am avut destul de mult succes cu el, a fost crisp & nice, i-a trezit pe onorabilii delegati din amortire si a vorbit despre trei probleme esentiale si legate intre ele: educatie - somaj/angajare - migratie. In plus, m-am bucurat pentru ca discursul meu a fost aprobat cap-coada de reprezentantii Ministerului de Externe, si nu am fost cenzurata in nici un fel, asa cum s-a intamplat cu declaratiile altor delegati de tineret, care au fost destul de mult periate si politizate. [***] Iata si intreg discursul:

Mr. Chairperson, Distinguished Delegates,

I have the honor of addressing you today as Romania’s Youth representative to the 45th Session of the Commission for Social Development. It is the first time Romania has youth representatives at the United Nations, and I commend my Government for its commitment to youth participation in decision-making. Unfortunately, less than 10% of UN member states have taken this important step. I call upon all Governments to include youth delegates in their permanent missions at the UN during relevant discussions in the General Assembly and in the Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions.

Mr. Chairperson,

When discussing the theme of youth employment and decent work for all, we have to bear in mind the urgency of addressing this issue: more than half of the unemployed throughout the world are young men and women according to figures provided by the International Labour Organization at the ECOSOC High Level Segment in July in Geneva.

As stated in the Copenhagen Plan of Action, we need to develop a comprehensive and integrated approach of social development for youth. From this perspective, it is crucial that we link educational policies with policies for reducing unemployment. Apart from achieving education for all, we have to ensure the provision of a quality education. As the World Youth Report 2005 stresses, governments must develop new approaches to the educational needs of youth, to meet the demands of an evolving global labor market. In Romania we have recently organized a high-level summit on education and employment that brought together educators, private sector representatives, youth, and the Government. The conclusion of all relevant stakeholders was that we must reform our educational systems urgently! The current formal learning systems must adapt their educational curricula and bring it in line with the labor market, by facilitating both the acquisition of ICT skills and of “life competencies”. Leadership and entrepreneurship training, e-learning, peer-education, creative (non-formal and informal) educational methods, partnerships with the private sector in the field of education – they all represent effective solutions for reducing youth unemployment.

Secondly, since a main driver of youth migration is unemployment, governments must harmonize migration strategies with strategies for reducing youth unemployment. As participants at the recent High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development agreed, migration could be a positive source for development in both countries of origin and countries of destination for young migrants. The need to generate jobs with decent work conditions at local and national levels is urgent in many parts of the world. In addition to this, a carefully crafted set of migration and unemployment policies should take into account issues such as the contribution of young migrants to reducing labor shortages, the positive impact of migrant entrepreneurship, as well as private flows of capital and remittances deriving from, inter alia, youth migration.

Young people are a key actor in unemployment reduction, poverty eradication, migration management and educational reform. Please support us to become real partners in making decisions which shape our future! Thank you for the opportunity to address you today.