Director-General's remarks on the occasion of the 2024 Rotaract UN Day

2024 Rotaract UN Day

“Future Global Leaders in Action”

Thursday, 31 October 2024, at 10.00 a.m.

Room XVIII, Palais des Nations

Ladies and gentlemen,

A warm welcome to the Palais des Nations, one of the largest diplomatic centres in the world. We are very glad to have you all here today.

It is wonderful to see so many motivated and passionate young people of many different nationalities and backgrounds together in this room, brought together by a long-standing UN partner, Rotary International.

History of the United Nations

Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working together toward peace and well-being. In fact, Rotary was involved in drafting the United Nations Charter during the San Francisco Conference in 1945. Thanks to the input of civil society organizations like Rotary, alongside states, the Charter is a landmark document, embodying humanity’s shared values, hopes and aspirations to build a better world from the ashes of World War Two. The United Nations and an international order based on multilateralism, international law and friendly relations between states are rooted in this Charter.

I want to pause briefly here to also remark upon the difference in gender balance between the negotiating room in 1945 and the room of young people I see in front of me today. When the United Nations was created, the topic of gender equality in international politics was quite marginal and the presence of women at the negotiating table was rare. For example, in 1945, only four out of 850 delegates at the San Francisco Conference were women. But their participation was meaningful: thanks to female delegates of the Conference, the principle of equal rights for men and women was proclaimed in the Preamble of the UN Charter as one of the basic principles of the Organization.

Since then, the international community has come a long way towards affirming the rights of women around the world. Indeed, the United Nations has been the catalyst for significant social development and progress across various domains. In addition to improving women’s rights, the United Nations has overseen the eradication of deadly diseases, the widespread dissemination of education, a reduction in poverty, the prevention of conflicts, the upholding of human rights, and more.

Our global context has also changed a lot since the UN Charter of 1945, though. We all know that, in 2024, our world faces turbulent times: we are seeing global economic insecurity, growing violent conflicts and nuclear threats, record levels of humanitarian needs, evermore pressing consequences of climate change, deepening inequalities, increasing mistrust and misinformation, and more. These challenges have put the multilateral system – which has the United Nations at its core – to the test. 

The United Nations remains the place where all the world’s nations can gather, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. But the global community can do better. We must do better. We need an updated system of international cooperation that is fairer, more inclusive, and more effective.

Pact for the Future

To this end, last month the international community met in New York for the Summit of the Future. There, global leaders adopted the ground-breaking Pact for the Future to transform global governance. This was the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation – including the United Nations – to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow. 

The Pact is the most wide-ranging international agreement in many years. It covers a number of issues, including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance. 

The Pact aims, above all, to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a world that has changed dramatically since they were created. In the words of the Secretary-General: “We cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built by our grandparents.”

For example, it includes the most progressive and concrete commitment to Security Council reform since the 1960s, with plans to improve the effectiveness and representativeness of the Council, including by redressing the historical under-representation of Africa as a priority. 

The Pact also includes: an agreement to strengthen international frameworks that govern outer space, including a clear commitment to prevent an arms race in outer space; steps to avoid the weaponization and misuse of new technologies, such as lethal autonomous weapons; a path to reform the international financial architecture so that it better represents and serves developing countries; and a commitment to more meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in the decisions that shape their lives, especially at the global level. 

There are also two annexes: a Global Digital Compact, which is the first comprehensive global framework for digital cooperation and AI governance, and the first-ever Declaration on Future Generations, which contains concrete steps to take account of future generations in our decision-making. 

Civil society

The consideration of future generations highlights the whole-of-society approach of the Pact, recognising that the challenges that we face affect everyone in our societies, both now and to come. This also means that the implementation of the Pact requires a whole-of-society approach. 

Success depends on the commitment and involvement of everyone, not just Member States. For example, civil society organizations contributed to the Pact’s development and can make valuable contributions to its implementation. In fact, its wording includes explicit commitments to deepening partnerships with civil society, such as leveraging existing channels and strengthening communication between United Nations intergovernmental bodies and civil society to foster ongoing dialogue and exchange of information. We need civil society organizations, like Rotary International, to come to the table with ideas and initiatives, and at the same time support us and push us to keep up the pace.

Youth

Furthermore, the engagement of young people in the implementation of the Pact – and indeed more broadly in global decision-making – is vital. With the greatest stake in our future, you have a central role to play in international affairs. Young people have the passion to innovate and the power to raise awareness, and have consistently demonstrated both the will and the skillset to bring about meaningful and necessary change. You can play a paramount role in rethinking and reshaping paradigms and be a positive force for the future. 

I urge all of you to engage as young leaders in your communities and your institutions, as well as through civil society entities like Rotary and international organizations like the United Nations. And if you can’t find the activity or opportunity you are looking for, create it and take the lead.

For our part, the United Nations is committed to investing in youth and ensuring youth engagement at all levels. Here at the United Nations Office at Geneva, we fully support the involvement of young people in global affairs and provide a range of opportunities, programmes and youth-focused events to engage and empower youth. These include:

• The Young Activists Summit, which honours and celebrates remarkable young activists from around the world; 
• The Graduate Study Programme, an intensive two-week summer seminar that provides an opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of the United Nations and “International Geneva” through first-hand observations, lectures, group work, and networking;
• Young Reporters at the UN, in which we open our doors to high school students interested in international affairs to engage with experts from different organizations in a press briefing setting.

Importantly, these initiatives are not only about helping you to learn about multilateralism, but are about two-way exchanges, allowing us here at the UN Office at Geneva to hear your views and incorporate your perspectives into our work. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today you embody the very spirit of the United Nations: coming together, engaging in discussions, and striving to create a world that is fairer, more peaceful, and more united. I hope that you will experience the transformative power of dialogue and collaboration and leave feeling inspired.

And you are meeting in the historic Palais des Nations, a place where leaders have convened for a century, since the time of the League of Nations, to forge agreements that advance peace, rights, and well-being, ultimately improving our lives. 

Here, between these walls that have seen so many leaders of the past, I want to emphasize to you that you can be the leaders not just of the future, but of today. You are a great source of inspiration for the United Nations, and we need your courage and determination more than ever.

When I look at this room filled with bright, young minds, I am filled with hope towards a brighter future. Your choices and actions can steer the course towards a better world for everyone, everywhere. 

I wish you well for your exciting and engaging day ahead. Thank you.