UN / INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY

Marking International Youth Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns that young men and women around the world are hit excessively hard by the impact of the global economic meltdown and climate change. UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:50
• Production Date: 12 August 2009
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: ECONOMIC CONDITIONS; NATURAL RESOURCES; ENVIRONMENT; POPULATION DYNAMICS
• MAMS Id: U090812e

Description

STORY: UN/ INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY
TRT: 1.50
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 12 AUGUST 2009, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

12 AUGUST 2009, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, dais
3. Pan right, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Gonnot, Acting Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA:
“I am encouraged by the contribution that young people have made to the debate on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Their views and proposals can help build the momentum necessary to seal the deal in Copenhagen later this year. Indeed, young people have proven themselves to be key partners in sustainable development. ”
5. Pan left, youth participants
SOUNDBITE (English) Jonathan Hiles, UNEP RONA Youth Network:
“I believe that climate change should concern all of us, because we will all contribute inevitably to the problem or to the solution. So, in order to show that we are all intricately involved in this issue, we need to trace our actions to social, economic and environmental consequences here and around the world.”
6. Wide shot, Fatima Santos walks to the microphone
7. Med shot, Fatima Santos sings “The Circle of Life”
8. Zoom out, applause
9. Zoom out, conference room

Storyline

Young men and women around the world are hit excessively hard by the impact of the global economic meltdown and climate change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today (12 August) in a message marking International Youth Day.

In a message read by Jean-Pierre Gonnot of Division for Social Policy and Development (DESA), Ban said that unemployment is only part of the problem, especially for youth in developing countries, where informal, insecure and low-wage employment is the norm, not the exception.

He added that he was also encouraged, however, by the contribution on the global warming mitigation and adaptation debate made by youth and said that “their views and proposals can help build the momentum necessary to ‘seal the deal’ in Copenhagen later this year”. He was referring to the UN climate change conference in December that will bring together world leaders to agree to a successor carbon emissions pact to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Jonathan Hiles, of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s (UNEP) regional North American Youth Network said that “climate change should concern all of us” as “we will all contribute inevitably to the problem or to the solution.” He argued that therefore “we need to trace our actions to social, economic and environmental consequences here and around the world.”

The 9th annual United Nations’ International Youth Day is an opportunity for governments and others to draw attention to youth issues worldwide. The theme for International Youth Day 2009 is “Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future”.