Youth participation in sustainable development important
27 Sep 2025
Intergenerational solidarity and global partnerships are essential in ensuring that the youth take their place at the table as partners, leaders and innovators in shaping society, says President Advocate Duma Boko.
In his remarks at an event to mark the 30th anniversary of the United Nations’ World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) in New York on September 25, President Boko said Botswana held in high regard the significance of intergenerational solidarity in building an inclusive future.
President Boko said it was critical to bridge the gap between generations by ensuring that young people were fully included in shaping policies that affected their lives. Further, he said it was Botswana’s stance that global partnerships mattered, especially to developing countries.
He said Botswana and other developing economies needed enhanced cooperation in technology transfer, capacity building and financing to scale up youth empowerment initiatives.
President Boko also said as agents of change, young people should be afforded the space to both learn and lead, because guaranteeing their active and full participation in shaping society was central to ensuring that they were not mere beneficiaries of developments.
“Today, we stand at a defining moment to evaluate how far we have come and to chart a bold new path that ensures that the youth are not left behind in the pursuit of peace, prosperity and sustainable development,” he said.
“As we mark the 30th anniversary of WPAY, we must recommit ourselves to a renewed global compact for youth development. Let us build systems that give hope, create opportunities and nurture resilience among our young people,” President Boko added.
He reaffirmed Botswana’s commitment to work with the UN, the African Union (AU) and other partners to accelerate the implementation of the ideal of WPAY of together transforming the promise of youth into lasting progress for humanity.
The UN’s under-secretary-general for policy, Mr Guy Ryder said while there was some unfinished business, real progress had been registered over time in prioritising the rights, aspirations and the potential of the world’s young people.
Mr Ryder, who was sharing a statement from the UN secretary general Mr Antonio Guterres, acknowledged the role of the youth in carving out a future for the world population.
“Young people are leading in innovation, driving climate action, building local solutions and championing human rights,” he noted. Despite this, Mr Ryder decried the prevalence of instances of their exclusion. “But yet too often, they are shut out of decisions: decisions that shape their lives,” he observed.
A youth and vice president of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) youth advisory panel in Malawi, Ms Amina Alidi said youth leadership was imbued with the power to transform communities and to build bridges of hope.
However, she said the youth were frustrated as their voices remained unheard, their ideas unsupported and their dreams unrealised. ENDS
Source : BOPA
Author : Keonee Majoto
Location : New York, USA
Event : UN World Programme of Action for Youth meeting
Date : 27 Sep 2025
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