Statement by the Executive Director at the ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue's Closing Ceremony

Mr. Deputy Chief of Staff representing His Excellency Mr. Abdoulaye Bio Tchane, Minister of Planning and Development

Excellencies,

Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, Commissioner ECOWAS

Youth Ambassador Sophie Larson of Denmark

Youth Ambassador Sara Bahgat of the Netherlands

Estimado Felipe Paullier, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs

Distinguished Youth Delegates of the ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue,

Young people of the world! 

What a splendid two days this has been! Thank you! 

I first thank our magnificent hosts, the Government and people of Benin – superb venue, and I also offer our thanks to the Dialogue co-sponsors, the Kingdoms of Denmark and the Netherlands. 

May I salute the more than 500 young people from over 130 countries coming together in solidarity, hearts and minds connecting, to chart the way forward. 

I also salute the tens of thousands of young people at home doing the work of youth leadership and empowerment in their communities. 

Here in Cotonou, youth organizations from all five world regions shaped this dialogue. Over months of planning, you shaped this dialogue. Your goal was to lead, and this has truly been a youth-led event. Young people selected participants, designed the agenda, and facilitated brilliant sessions bursting with creativity, with substance and a with whole lot of passion. 

I opened this dialogue by saying that we are all here to listen, to learn and to plan what’s next. And in your recommendations, we hear you loud and clear: young people want better representation, more voice, more funding and more clout in the most critical global conversations.

UNFPA pledges to work with governments to strengthen mechanisms for youth engagement in policy design and in delivery, in action. 

Our diverse plenaries benefited enormously from the unique perspectives and experiences of all generations – from older activists, whose work paved the way for the progressive ICPD Programme of Action, and now from young people with a fresh perspective, with their knowledge, energy and creativity. 

Guided by principles of human rights, social justice, and radical inclusivity, we also expanded our alliances beyond traditional SRHR communities. We forged powerful connections with new allies from activist communities focused on climate action, peacebuilding, racial justice, disability activism and on rectifying economic equality. 

Yes, you challenged us to look beyond the antiquated ideas of the past and to look forward to creating new narratives and new examples of ethical and transformative leadership – that’s the kind of leadership the world needs and which you, the younger generations, will commit to and what you deserve.

We listened when one of you said, “Youth don’t have the luxury to not be hopeful.” 

What gives me hope is your powerful expression of solidarity with young people facing danger, facing hostility, facing sad times around the world. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, how proud I am that you are willing to stand up for our shared humanity and our fundamental human rights.

The drummers have set the tone for this closing. As we leave here, let us keep the drumbeat going – the drumbeat for rights, for choices, for dignity, for bodily autonomy, for gender equality, for peace.

I assure you that your recommendations today and your prescriptions are going to inform the success of September’s Summit of the Future taking place in New York in September in conjunction with the General Assembly.

As it is said: With the wisdom of the youth, with the wisdom of the elders, that is how Ife was built. 

With the wisdom of the youth, with the wisdom of the elders, that is how you construct a society. And I find that in this ancient proverb, it is the wisdom of the youth that gets precedence over the wisdom of the elders. So let us learn from that.

I believe that it was an excellent decision to kick off our yearlong ICPD celebrations with young people right here in Cotonou in Benin. You have set the stage for the next global dialogues, on demographic diversity and on technology and artificial intelligence, and for the many events yet to come, where young people must attend and lend their perspectives for the success of these dialogues coming up. 

We’re 8 billion plus, and you’re nearly 2 billion, so use your influence, use your total smarts and intelligence to make sure that influence stands on the side of rights and choices. 

The movement for sexual and reproductive health and rights needs champions. It needs protection. It takes data to know who is being left behind and to know where you want to go next. . And hopefully that way is forward. No turning back. We can’t wait another 30 years to fulfil the promise of Cairo!

I hope that you have enjoyed making new connections here in Cotonou, and that you’ll say connected. Continue to share ideas and learn from one another. 

And please, stay connected to UNFPA. That’s how we build a strong, broad global movement that will advance rights and choices for all – by doing that together. 

Above all, look after yourselves, keep connecting your hearts and minds. Keep expressing yourselves and your ideas. Because when you do, there’s no telling how far you’ll go in the next 30 years. 

Adelante!