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STORY: UN / YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP DIGITAL INCLUSION
TRT: 03:16
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 05 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN Headquarters
05 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, General Assembly, United Nations:
“Innovation is best if not thought in silos and not excluded by walls. Because well-governed migration is, in fact, a tool to foster science, innovation, and technology.”
4. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, General Assembly, United Nations:
“Make no mistake, a pro-innovation ecosystem is one that leverages the potential of the world’s brightest minds and fosters innovation wherever it comes from. That includes migrants, to be sure, and it includes our own young people. It includes us here at the UN – you and your governments – for all of us, to ensure we have a common society and policy approach across all sectors.”
6. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Annalena Baerbock, President, General Assembly, United Nations:
“Closing the digital and technological divide is not an act of charity, it is a shared investment, an SDG accelerator, and an all-of-humanity endeavour. An effort to ensure that what belongs to humanity is truly shared by humanity.”
8. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Lok Bahadur Thapa, President, Economic and Social Council, United Nations:
“Youth unemployment remains one of the most persistent labour market challenges. More than sixty-five million young people are unemployed globally. And a youth unemployment rate of 13 per cent tells only part of the story. Behind that figure are millions more young people trapped in precarious, informal employment, with no clear pathway forward. This is the reality we must hold in mind as we deliberate.”
10. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Lok Bahadur Thapa, President, Economic and Social Council, United Nations:
“These young people are digital natives and represent a significant opportunity for innovation and entrepreneurship. Yet this promise stands in stark contrast to today’s realities: Around 2.7 billion people – one third of humanity - are still offline.”
12. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Lok Bahadur Thapa, President, Economic and Social Council, United Nations:
“The implementation gap between what we commit to and what we deliver must close. Good practices exist. The knowledge exists. The energy and creativity of 1.2 billion young people exist. What is needed now is the will to act and the courage to act together. What is at stake is not only progress on the Goals. It is the opportunity we extend or deny to an entire generation.”
14. Wide shot, ECOSOC Chamber
A UN top official said, “Make no mistake, a pro-innovation ecosystem is one that leverages the potential of the world’s brightest minds and fosters innovation wherever it comes from.”
Today (5 May) the joint special meeting of the Assembly and the Economic and Social Council on "From digital inclusion to innovation: Advancing science, technology and youth entrepreneurship for development" was held at UNHQ in New York.
Addressing the meeting, Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, noted, “Innovation is best if not thought in silos and not excluded by walls. Because well-governed migration is, in fact, a tool to foster science, innovation, and technology.”
She continued, “Make no mistake, a pro-innovation ecosystem is one that leverages the potential of the world’s brightest minds and fosters innovation wherever it comes from. That includes migrants, to be sure, and it includes our own young people. It includes us here at the UN – you and your governments – for all of us, to ensure we have a common society and policy approach across all sectors.”
She stressed, “Closing the digital and technological divide is not an act of charity, it is a shared investment, an SDG accelerator, and an all-of-humanity endeavour. An effort to ensure that what belongs to humanity is truly shared by humanity.”
Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, said, “Youth unemployment remains one of the most persistent labour market challenges. More than sixty-five million young people are unemployed globally. And a youth unemployment rate of 13 per cent tells only part of the story. Behind that figure are millions more young people trapped in precarious, informal employment, with no clear pathway forward. This is the reality we must hold in mind as we deliberate.”
He added, “These young people are digital natives and represent a significant opportunity for innovation and entrepreneurship. Yet this promise stands in stark contrast to today’s realities: Around 2.7 billion people – one third of humanity - are still offline.”
He concluded, “The implementation gap between what we commit to and what we deliver must close. Good practices exist. The knowledge exists. The energy and creativity of 1.2 billion young people exist. What is needed now is the will to act and the courage to act together. What is at stake is not only progress on the Goals. It is the opportunity we extend or deny to an entire generation.”
The meeting examined how young people can be supported with skills, digital tools, and financing to leverage science, technology and innovation for entrepreneurship.
It contributed to a shared understanding of how to translate global commitments into actionable pathways that support countries in closing digital divides, building innovation ecosystems, and enabling youth as drivers of sustainable development.
