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STATEMENT BY

MR. NIZHAN FARAZ RIZAL

SECOND SECRETARY

PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS   

 

DURING THE DEBATE ON THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE

UNITED NATIONS YOUTH OFFICE 

 

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 25 JULY 2023  

 

Mr. President,   

 

At the outset, Malaysia thanks the Secretary-General for his report on the UN Youth Office, as contained in document A/77/955.   

 

Mr. President,  

 

2.      Ten months ago, this august Assembly adopted the momentous resolution 76/306, which decided to establish the Youth Office as a dedicated office for youth affairs in the UN Secretariat. This is a significant milestone in line with the commitment to listen to and work with youth as outlined in the Declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the UN adopted in September 2020, as well as the proposal outlined by the Secretary-General in his “Our Common Agenda” report, to ensure that the voices of youth are more systematically integrated across the UN system. We note that efforts are underway since early this year vis-à-vis the establishment of the Youth Office, particularly with regard to recruitment and transition of responsibilities. We wish to underscore the following points as the process of establishing the Office is still ongoing:  

 

2.1    First, it is imperative that the Office becomes operational at the earliest opportunity. In this regard, we note that recruitment for the 16 regular budget posts of the Office is ongoing; that at least half of the posts will be occupied by the fourth quarter of 2023, including the post of the Assistant Secretary-General; and that the full complement of 16 staff will be onboarded by the end of the year; 

 

2.2    Second, it is of paramount importance that the recruitment of personnel for the Youth Office takes into account gender parity as well as age and geographic representation. This diversity in representation would help ensure the Office’s effectiveness in representing the views of youth around the world and not from a specific hemisphere;   

 

2.3    Third, it is crucial that the Youth Office implements the mandates outlined as per Operative Paragraph 3 of General Assembly Resolution 76/306, to advance youth engagement, discourse, involvement and representation within the UN fora;   

 

2.4    Fourth, the Youth Office should streamline efforts vis-à-vis youth within the UN system to optimise resources and avoid duplication. The Office must be able to utilise frameworks and resources under other relevant UN entities, amongst others, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); and  

 

2.5    Finally, the annual consideration of the Secretary-General’s report on the Youth Office should also serve as an opportunity for Member States to engage in dialogue with the Office towards advancing the youth agenda within the UN. It should be an opportunity for the Office as well as Member States to offer insights and suggestions to improve each other’s efforts visà-vis youth within the UN sphere.    

 

Mr. President,  

 

3.      There is a proverb in the Malay language which says, “Pemuda harapan bangsa, pemudi tiang negara”, which loosely translates to youth are the hope of the people and pillar of the nation. As such, it is imperative that we undertake efforts to empower our youth at the national, regional and international level, as they will be the leaders of tomorrow. The quest of achieving world peace, economic advancement, and social justice would be possible through meaningful engagement with youth. Let me conclude by reaffirming Malaysia’s full commitment towards the youth empowerment agenda. As such, please be assured of Malaysia’s utmost support towards the Youth Office and other youth empowerment initiatives within the UN.  

 

I thank you.