Youth has an indispensable role to play within the UN System, Cyprus’ Permanent Representative to the UN Andreas Hadjichrysanthou said, adding in this regard, that Cyprus welcomes the report of the Secretary General on the United Nations Youth Office, and expresses appreciation for all the updates provided in relation to the establishment of the new UN Youth Office. Hadjichrysanthou addressed the 77th Session of the General Assembly, ‘Item 134. Report of the United Nations Youth Office.’ ‘We believe that the establishment of a UN Youth Office, based on General Assembly Resolution 76/306, should effectively integrate the current activities of the Office of the Envoy on Youth’ he said in his statement, according to the Press and Information Office (PIO). The Ambassador also indicated that the UN Youth Office should continue to lead high-level advocacy and serve as the anchor for the United Nations system coordination and accountability on youth matters, including peace and security, sustainable development, humanitarian action, and human rights. He also reiterated that Cyprus continues to support the integration of the current activities of the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in the new Youth Office and reiterates the importance of institutional memory related to youth issues across the UN System. As Ambassador Hadjichrysanthou noted, it is imperative to address young people’s priorities and challenges to realize their full potential in local, national, regional, and international level, having as our top priority the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth and the 2030 Agenda. ‘Youth forms the backbone of our societies, holding tremendous potential for positive action and innovative solution, and therefore, we need to recognise and empower youth in this regard’ he stressed. He also underlined that Cyprus implements programmes and specific actions on how to strengthen youth participation such as the ‘Youth Parliament of Cyprus’, an initiative by two youth NGOs that has been institutionalized by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus, providing a permanent space for youth of Cyprus to present their ideas and proposals to policy making and decision-making structures. Ambassador Hadjichrysanthou said that launch of the Youth2030 agenda in 2018, as well as the dedicated track on ‘Our Common Agenda’, provide a great momentum for a meaningful youth engagement at all levels. He expressed once more Cyprus’ appreciation for Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, H.E. Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, for her participation in the event ‘Youth of Cyprus celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations’, organized by the Cypriot Youth NGO ‘Cyprus Youth DiplomaCY’ back in December 2020 – with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus. An event which, as he added, ‘gave youth of Cyprus the opportunity to express directly, on the highest lever, their views on the UN they want.’
Source: Cyprus News Agency