NEW YORK, UN Headquarters, 12 August 2025
Hello. Hola. Bonjour. Nǐ hǎo. A-salāmu alaykum. Privyet.
Happy International Youth Day!
I’m Felipe Paullier, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs — and I’m very excited to mark this global moment with all of you.
Today, we shine a light on the 1.9 billion young people driving change in every corner of the world.
This year’s theme is about Local Action for the Sustainable Development Goals, and it is a powerful reminder that the biggest transformations begin with local actions and local leadership.
Young people are leading change with purpose, from local campaigns to global peace efforts, building trust between cultures and creating real impact.
That’s why today marks the launch of a six‑week mobilization campaign from the United Nations Youth Office focusing on Youth, Peace and Local Action.
Starting now and until the International Day of Peace, we want to elevate inspiring stories of young changemakers building peace, fostering inclusion and strengthening resilience, especially in communities emerging from crisis.
This activism is powered by the voices of young people — it’s powered by your voices.
And let me say it loudly: this moment is part of a bigger movement.
In 2025, we mark 80 years of the United Nations, 30 years of the World Programme of Action for Youth and 10 years since the UN Security Council adopted its first resolution on Youth, Peace and Security.
These milestones remind us that youth are not just participants. You are partners in building a better world.
At the heart of our work at the United Nations Youth Office, we have a commitment to helping young people navigate and shape the decisions that affect them.
For that, we must transform institutions to be more inclusive, accountable and youth-responsive.
Meaningful youth participation means engaging youth as equal partners.
It means intergenerational collaboration.
It means real trust.
Because investing in youth isn’t just about the future. It’s about the world we live in today.
So, to every young person watching this: we see you leading. We see you already delivering solutions.
And we are with you — working to make meaningful youth participation the norm.
Thank you for your courage, your creativity and your commitment to peace and justice, right where you are, wherever in the world that may be.
Once again, happy International Youth Day.