“You will carry the torch of freedom” Türk tells young activists

It’s really great to be here and to have a specific youth dialogue with so many young participants, who are part of this community of young people who care deeply about human rights. I’m very grateful that you’re all here, and that we have this chance of engaging, especially on this occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We know - you’ve heard me say before – that this declaration has inspired decades of vibrant, creative, powerful activism and solidarity, empowering people across the globe – especially young people – to claim their rights and to engage actively in communities and societies.

Personally, the Universal Declaration is also what inspired me as a young person to work on human rights. I was really horrified by the suffering in so many parts of the world. I was 15 when I first encountered the Universal Declaration. I saw in it an incredible promise of a solution to what we can do together, and frankly, that enthusiasm has stayed with me throughout.

Today, we need to talk about you, and to listen to you and the millions of young people that are behind you, who are hopefully watching this, and watching also their future. Your generations will carry forward the torch of freedom from fear and from want – and the colossal task of determining the future of humanity and our planet.

You have already inspired many of us with your far-reaching and forward-looking work to advance the right to a healthy planet and an inclusive future. Without you, we would not be as far as we are today and I really want to recognise and pay tribute to you for doing precisely engaging in climate action and the right to a safe and secure and healthy environment. The right to live free from discrimination and deprivation. And also the right to participate in decisions that affect your lives. 

We know that many young people around the world face barriers to participation in politics and in public decision making. They are barriers related to financial constraints, lack of digital connectivity, limited access to education, to employment, to health services. Or safety. Young human rights defenders – and we have some among us – especially those who face intersecting forms of discrimination, are vulnerable to abuse, to harassment, both online and offline. You face also a shrinking civic space, and sometimes even the criminalisation of your legitimate activities. 

Even where engagement is possible, it is often not meaningful – undermined by limited access, by poor information, and also a lack of government accountability. We were talking with some of our members of our youth advisory group downstairs about tokenism – something really important. It shouldn’t be tokenism. It should be meaningful and real participation, and we need to learn the lessons from it.

It is crucial that decision-makers, including States and those in public and private institutions, take concrete actions to ensure that you are not prevented from exercising your human right to have a voice in decisions that affect your future.

Education is critical. Human rights education, in particular, inspires young people to reflect on how laws and principles can translate into their own social, economic, cultural and political realities. The Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit will be of great value to those who seek to empower themselves and take action, especially if you’re living in a marginalised situation.

Youth participation is also crucial. We need it to be diverse, we need it to be embedded in formal decision-making processes, with adequate feedback mechanisms. Young people must be consulted on policy decisions that affect them. To give you one example that many young people have raised with me – the fact that affordable housing, education, and healthcare, are becoming so scarce in so many places. We need to make sure that this is taken into account in policies that Governments and States put forward.

You will suffer more than any one of us the effects of climate change, like no generation before. And your repeated calls for a world where human rights, human dignity, and our planet come before profit must be heeded. Human rights law requires that those responsible for climate harms, including States and businesses, are held accountable for remedying them. Right to remedy is an important. And we need much  stronger accountability measures against those who benefit from the destruction of our habitable environment.  You heard one of our panellists this morning talk about ecocide as a potential inclusion in the statute of the International Criminal Court.

The UN system is not perfect – I will say that – and it is not all-powerful. It is not a world government. But it is grounded in the legitimacy of universality. It brings a unique convening power to global crises, with the capacity to catalyse action by States, by business and by civil society. And it is infused with two important, and profoundly wise, documents: the UN Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The promises that are held within the Charter and the Declaration were made explicitly to current and future generations.

With this year-long Human Rights 75 initiative, we have tried to place  young people front and centre in shaping human rights commitments for the future. The Youth Declaration that you will present is a testament to the dedication of young people in taking up and rising to this challenge. 

So many young people around the world are desperate for human rights to be fully integrated into their lives. This dialogue is a real opportunity to speak to that plea.

Please share your concerns. We need to listen.

I wish you all a very fruitful discussion, and I thank you all again for being here, and for being torch bearers.