International School of Geneva - La Grande Boissière

Dear students, parents and professors,

Thank you for inviting me today to discuss the global challenges and the work of the United Nations to address them.

You probably know that Ecolint and the United Nations have a common history. Ecolint – the first international school worldwide - was founded in 1924 by officials of the International Labour Organization and the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations. We mark this fact every year when we host the Ecolint Students’ League of Nations at the Palais des Nations. Since its creation, the International School of Geneva has been a leading example in drawing on the backgrounds of its diverse multi-cultural and multi-lingual students to guide young people in becoming committed global citizens ready to take an active part in making our world a better place. These values are also a part of the DNA of the United Nations.

Let me start by highlighting the multiple and interconnected challenges of the world we live in today. Protracted and new conflicts have become more complex than ever before, causing violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses. People are being forced to flee their homes on a scale unseen in decades. An unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced. Some 22.5 million of them are refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Syria accounts for the biggest numbers, with 12 million people (65 per cent of the population) displaced internally or living outside the country. Climate change also aggravates many of today’s conflicts, from Darfur to Somalia to Iraq and Syria. The five-year drought in the northeast of Syria that preceded the current conflict drove some 1.5 million persons out of their homes. Floods or droughts, storms and wildfires, extreme temperature and coastal erosion force more and more people to move to new places. Poor countries have the most displacement linked to disasters. Population growth, rapid urbanization, food insecurity and water scarcity have increased competition for resources and heightened societal tensions and instability.

At the same time, the last seven decades have been marked by extraordinary technological progress, global economy growth and improvement of basic social indicators. In the history of humanity, we are at our best now despite the dire situation in many places. On average, people now live longer, eat better and are in better health. We are better educated. Global poverty has been reduced by half, and the proportion of people living in absolute poverty has fallen dramatically. Infant mortality has been cut in half, and the enrolment in primary education in developing regions reached 91 per cent in 2015.

But globalization and technological progress have also contributed to growing inequalities, with people feeling left behind, with many jobs disappearing and unemployment rates growing. In many parts of the world, youth unemployment has exploded. Globalization has also broadened the reach of terrorism, organized crime and trafficking. People’s fears and anger are being exploited by those who search quick gains in reaching power. These developments have deepened the divide between people and their leaders. Exclusion and inequality trigger revolt, anger and become a factor of instability. Many people have lost confidence not only in their Governments, but also in global institutions, including the United Nations.

Our relevance as an organization is being put to the test. The UN was founded after the Second World War with an objective to stop and prevent future wars and provide a space for dialogue between countries. Indeed, throughout its seven decades of existence, the UN had been solicited to address multiple challenges, and can be proud of its achievements in saving people’s lives and improving their conditions through international cooperation in different parts of the world. Globally, the UN has contributed to decades of relative peace, even though its interventions were not always successful. Nowadays, the global challenges are surpassing our ability to address them. The United Nations, which still reflects very much the governance structures and realities of 1945, has to adjust its way of doing business in addressing today’s challenges with yesterday’s tools.

This is why our new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who took office almost 10 months ago, has embarked on a number of ambitious reforms of the United Nations Organization. He wants to have an organization, which is more effective, nimble, flexible, efficient and relevant in today’s world. For the Secretary-General, the overarching priority is to strengthen prevention of conflicts, natural disasters and other threats that undermine the well-being of the world population. It is more efficient and less costly to prevent crises than to deal with their aftermath. But this is easier said than done. A comprehensive approach to prevention, which brings together the three pillars of action – peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights – will be crucial. In this context, the reforms of the two crucial pillars of the UN - peace and security architecture and the development system - are currently being discussed with a view of making them much more field-focused, well-coordinated and accountable. The Secretary-General is also pursuing an internal management reform to simplify procedures, decentralize decisions, and increase transparency, efficiency and accountability of the organization.

Preceding these reforms, over the last two years, the international community adopted several policy frameworks that will shape international cooperation in the coming years under the umbrella of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contains 17 goals – we call them SDGs and you can see them on the screen now. These goals address issues such as ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, achieving gender equality, making cities more sustainable, protecting the environment, developing infrastructure, creating decent work, reducing inequalities and promoting strong institutions. This is our global common roadmap for how to achieve the world we want by 2030.

The universal and integrated nature of the SDGs cuts across issues, organizations and generations, and challenges all actors to work in a more horizontal and collaborative manner than we have ever done before. At the global and regional level, we have to strengthen partnerships, within the UN family, with regional organizations and other partners, including civil society and academia, to achieve a better coordinated analysis and response. Our ability to work in partnerships will be crucial for the success of the SDGs and the reforms that our Secretary-General has launched.

Let me demonstrate to you the universality and relatedness of the SDGs with an example of health. Currently, over 400 million people globally lack access to one or more essential health services. The World Health Organization (WHO), based in Geneva, works side by side with governments in more than 150 countries, to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people. WHO provides leadership, technical support and assessment of health related trends in nearly every country.

The 2030 Agenda contains Goal 3 on good health and well-being, with the main focus of achieving universal healthcare by 2030. However, universal healthcare is not only essential for achieving the health-related goal. It is interconnected with other goals such as no poverty (Goal 1), zero hunger (Goal 2), decent work and economic growth (Goal 8), or reduced inequalities (Goal 10). Moreover, these goals cannot be achieved without peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16) and without strong partnerships (Goal 17). With 100 million people pushed into poverty every year, and 150 million suffering financial difficulties due to health-related expenses, it is clear that universal health care is a critical target.

Let me turn to our work in Geneva. If New York is the political center of the United Nations, Geneva - by its strengths - is the operational center for collaboration, innovation and action. The work done here in Geneva has a direct impact on every person on this planet, in any 24-hour period. Let me give you a few examples.

The first example is in the toothpaste you use every day. I wonder if some of you know that it is the World Health Organization in Geneva that established the standards for the maximum level of chemicals in your toothpaste.

The second example is in your mobile phone. Dialing codes for your phone to call your friends and family living abroad are allocated through the International Telecommunication Union. Components of your phone and the phone itself can be traded globally thanks to rules and practices agreed by the World Trade Organization. Potential health risks associated with the mobile phone usage are monitored by the World Health Organization. The rights of workers who assembled your phone are protected through conventions by the International Labour Organization. All the organizations I just mentioned are based in Geneva.

These are concrete examples that show the invisible positive impact of the UN on our daily life, and there are hundreds of similar examples.

Geneva is the operational hub of the United Nations focusing on global issues like health, labour, human rights, humanitarian action and disaster relief, intellectual property, trade and development, disarmament, science and technology as well as research and training. Geneva is home to over 100 UN entities and international organizations, 178 States representations, over 400 non-governmental organizations, 1,000 multinationals as well as academic institutions, think tanks and private sector. Altogether, this community is known as International Geneva.

But people do not know about the impact of International Geneva because what filters through the media to the public is often about what has gone wrong, not about what turned out right. Good stories rarely make it to the headlines.

When I rejoined United Nations Office at Geneva in 2013, I decided to change these narrow perceptions and to show the impact of the work done by the United Nations and other international organisations that improves our lives for the better.

This is why I launched the Perception Change Project (PCP) to foster a direct communication link between International Geneva and the public in Geneva and beyond, to explain the real impact and importance of our joint work in a more innovative way. The PCP team creates a space, in which interaction and networking among its 100+ partners provides a sounding board for innovative ideas and joint projects. We have done many interesting projects, and I would like to tell you more about one of them.

This is a storybook called Fairy Tales for a Fairer World. The book is for readers of all ages. It leads the reader in the discovery of the Sustainable Development Goals, which I spoke about earlier. It is about a journey that takes well-known fairy tale and folk characters on a quest to save the world. Many characters in this book are known to us from our childhood, and in this story they are driving conversations that affect the lives of people around the world, beyond the realm of fairy tales. Beyond the light-hearted tone and playfulness, the stories offer a serious look at many crucial issues humanity faces, such as migration, poverty, hunger, discrimination, forced marriages, environment change and other issues. This book has been translated into many languages. I will leave this storybook at your Library, and I invite you to learn more about our work and impact on Twitter @GenevaImpact

I will also leave for you the booklet we produced of 170 actions to transform our world, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. These are actions that each of us can do to help achieving the SDGs. For example, for Goal 4 on quality education, you can donate books to public libraries or public schools in need. For Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation, you can turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and while soaping in the shower.

For all young people and students here today I want to say that you have an important role to play in the implementation of our common goals. Youth makes up a quarter of the world population. You have the potential and responsibility to change and challenge structures and states of mind. You are the leaders of tomorrow, and I encourage you to use your energy, passion and creativity for making this world a better place for all.

Thank you. I now look forward now to hearing your observations, comments and questions.