Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 

Young people matter. They matter because roughly one quarter of the world’s popoulation is between 10-24 years old – that’s an unprecedented 1.8 billion young people. And that 1.8 billion are the shapers and leaders of our global future. 

On Friday, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and with it, the 17 new global goals – and these goals, one could say, are ‘the most ambitious in history’. 

The involvement and leadership of young people in the implementation, monitoring and accountability of these goals is fundamental to having any chance of achieving them. 

Children and young women and men are critical agents of change and the new Agenda, a platform for them to create a better world using their youthful energy and drive or their restless development. 

Since 2012, I have been a member of the High Level Task Force for the International Conference on Population Development. The Task Force was created to provide a bold and independent voice for gender equality, the empowerment of young people and sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. And for ensuring their rightful place in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Although, there is (surprisingly for some) no explicit goal directed at youth empowerment, it is clearly implied throughout the 17 goals and 169 targets that they must be achieved for all: men, women, girls and boys – no matter who you are or where you live. The Agenda is a pledge that no-one will be left behind. 

My engagement on these issues stems from a strong belief, that: 

• the right to make free, informed and responsible decisions about one’s body, sexuality, health and relationships 

• the right to access information – such as comprehensive sexuality education - and reproductive health services, enabling young women to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy or HIV-infection, and 

• the right of young people to develop and make their own choices without being forced into early marriage or seeing their lives shattered as a result of sexual violence 

are fundamental human rights which must be fulfilled and protected. 

Unleashing the potential of young people, however, goes far beyond sexual and reproductive health and rights. It relates to; 

• being able to obtain an education and relevant skills 

• having meaningful employment opportunities and having prospects and hopes for the future 

It also relates to being able to participate in decision making processes affecting not only your lives and futures but, the futures of your families, communities and countries. 

Young people can only reach their full potential when they are healthy and educated, and when they have equal opportunities for employment, leadership and decision-making at all levels. 

During my travels I meet many young people and they are a source of tremendous inspiration – their strength and will to make a better life for themselves is so tangible. 

I would like to share a story with you, from a recent trip to Ethiopia. It is about the potential which can be released by a single intervention and it is a story that I share often. It is about a young girl who grew up in the Afar region – a region where life is hard, especially for girls and women. For girls it is a struggle to be able to go to school, to avoid early marriage and most go through life with serious health consequences associated with FGM/C. 

I visited a joint UNICEF and UNFPA programme for the elimination of FGM/C and child marriage. All members of the community, young and old, were involved. As part of the initiative, girls are brought together in small groups to talk about difficult and intimate issues. I attended one of these groups and the story of one particular girl stood out.

By way of introduction, we were told that the concept of ‘savings’ was unknown to the girls when the programme started. But on this day, the girl – like the other girls in the group - sat proudly with her very own bank book. 

She had acted upon her new knowledge. With a starting capital of 500 birr (about USD 24) from her father – whom she had persuaded not to marry her off at the age of 15 – she bought two young goats at the local market. She fattened them up and sold them for over 1,000 birr each.

She was now in the process of fattening up her latest purchase. Her entrepreneurship was driven by a desire to further and strengthen her education in a nearby town. Her dream was to be independent – to decide her own future and create a better life for herself. 

If a relatively small intervention like understanding the concept of saving can release so much potential, imagine what real opportunities can do. We need more young women – and men – to have opportunities. 

One year ago here in New York, I was proud to launch AmplifyChange, the fund to support civil society advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Demand has been overwhelming. 8,000 civil society and grassroots organisations have contacted AmplifyChange and the fund has received 1,500 applications for support. 

It is an enormous pleasure for me to announce that this weekend – one year on and to coincide with this weekend’s special events here in New York – AmplifyChange has opened its Opportunity grant window. This is a grant that can provide support for the initiatives of young people. AmplifyChange wants to make at least 100 Opportunity grants in the next 12 months – so take advantage of this and apply!

On that note, let me re-emphasize that achieving the 17 new global goals not only requires the involvement and participation of young people. It also requires that young people take the lead. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is about our future. 

Together let us make this ambitious Agenda, ‘the one’ that can transform our world.

Thank you.