UN Assistant Secretary-General Praises Bahrain's Youth Empowerment Efforts as a Global Model
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth, Mr. Felipe Paullier, has lauded the Kingdom of Bahrain for its pioneering efforts in empowering young people, highlighting the tangible outcomes achieved by the Kingdom in making youth a central pillar in its development journey. Speaking at a panel discussion organized by Bahrain's Ministry of Youth Affairs during the "Hope Network" event, held on the sidelines of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, Paullier described Bahrain as a model nation in youth development.
He commended Bahrain's initiative in launching the "Hope Network", calling it a promising platform for knowledge exchange, building partnerships, and advancing youth empowerment both regionally and internationally.
'By launching the Hope Network, Bahrain has taken on a significant global responsibility. The Kingdom has created a dynamic space that amplifies the impact of inspiring initiatives aimed at nurturing a new generation of young leaders,' Paullier said. 'This aligns perfectly with the United Nations' vision of youth as powerful agents of change who transcend borders and hold the promise of a more prosperous future.'
The Assistant Secretary-General emphasized that the UN Youth Office is committed to fostering meaningful and inclusive youth participation across all areas of UN operations. He stressed that youth are not merely recipients of development but are core partners and innovators in crafting solutions to today's global challenges.
'Youth leadership doesn't happen automatically—it requires institutional support, enabling environments, and programs that reflect their realities and aspirations,' he added.
Paullier highlighted the critical role of initiatives like the Hope Network in promoting collective learning, documenting best practices, and scaling their impact to benefit communities worldwide. He noted that capturing successful practices is not just theoretical work—it is a strategic tool to accelerate progress and deliver measurable results.
In closing, Paullier referred to the recent adoption of the 'Pact for the Future' at the United Nations Headquarters, where global leaders reaffirmed their commitment to youth empowerment. He underscored that youth participation in decision-making is the cornerstone of good governance, strong institutions, and building intergenerational trust.
He called for urgent investment in the energy and leadership potential of young people, stating, 'A better future can only be built through genuine partnership with youth—and for youth.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Syrian Islamist Leader Sharaa Will Speak At UN
The Islamist group which rules Syria from Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has long been designated as a terrorist organization by the UN, US and UK. But once the hardline group toppled Assad, things changed rapidly. The group's leader and self-declared interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammed al-Jolani) until very recently had a $10 million bounty on his head. In May, President Trump met with Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, praising his 'very strong past' – after which US sanctions on Syria were dropped. That 'strong past' was terrorism plain and simple, including attacks on civilians and overseeing Sharia executions in AQ-held Idlib provice. A week before the Gulf meeting with Trump, Sharaa had suggested the idea of building a Trump Tower in Damascus. Since then, Sharaa has engaged with several US delegations, pushing for positive relations amid an effort to present a 'moderated' and 'reformed' leadership, despite that Jolani had even been part of ISIS early in the Syrian proxy war. This is why a headline which emerged Tuesday is absurd and shocking: the man who founded the Syrian al-Qaeda group Al-Nusra Front is coming to America. One international report says: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit New York in September to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, according to Sky News Arabic. Reports of Sharaa's intention to address the UN have emerged in Arabic-language media in recent weeks. This would mark the first time a Syrian president has addressed the UN since June 1967, when Nureddin al-Atassi did so after Israel's victory in the Six Day War. Earlier this week, the US endorsed Sharaa's controversial proposal to integrate thousands of foreign jihadists from his group, HTS, into the Syrian military. This is tantamount to Washington nodding in agreement with a plan to regularize global jihadists in the heart of the Middle East. However, Sharaa has certainly not been universally welcomed even in the region. In April, Iraq invited him to the Arab League summit in Baghdad, but his past as a senior member of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) led to strong opposition, given AQI is responsible for thousands of brutal killings of Iraqi civilians. Sharaa chose not to attend the Arab League amid the pressure, and his reported upcoming visit to the UN in New York City could provoke similar resistance. The legal loop hole in all this is that despite his terrorism past, US law allows for sitting heads of state to attend UN headquarters in NY City. And this question is somewhat moot anyway, given that President Trump has already full embraced him, during last month's Riyadh visit.
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
US Warns Britain & France Not To Recognize Palestinian State
The US has warned Britain and France against recognizing a Palestinian state at a UN conference later this month, Middle East Eye can reveal. France and Saudi Arabia are set to co-host a major UN conference on the two-state solution beginning on June 17 in New York. France is reportedly gearing up to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at the conference. MEE understands that France has been lobbying Britain to do so as well. French officials believe the British government is onboard with the plan, according to French media. But Washington privately begun to warn Britain and France against unilaterally recognizing Palestine, sources with knowledge of the matter in the British Foreign Office told MEE. At the same time Arab states are urging them to proceed with the move, sources said. In late May, UN member states held consultations in preparation for the conference during which the Arab Group urged states to recognize Palestinian statehood. The Arab Group said they would measure the success of the conference by whether significant states recognize Palestine, Foreign Office sources added. Click here to read more… Source Zero Hedge
Daily Tribune
3 days ago
- Daily Tribune
UN says ‘deadly attacks' around Gaza aid sites ‘a war crime'
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said yesterday that 'deadly attacks' on civilians around aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip constituted 'a war crime'. Rescuers in the Palestinian territory said Israeli fire targeting civilians near an aid distribution centre in the southern city of Rafah killed 27 people yesterday, raising an earlier toll. It came after a similar incident on Sunday when rescuers said 31 people were killed at the same location, witnesses saying they had been on their way to collect aid. 'Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable,' Turk said in a statement. 'For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured.' The US-backed GHF is a recently formed group that Israel has cooperated with to implement a new aid distribution mechanism in Gaza. The United Nations does not work with the foundation because of concerns that it does not meet core humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. Turk called for a prompt and impartial investigation into each attack, and for those responsible to be held to account. 'Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime,' he said. 'Palestinians have been presented the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel's militarised humanitarian assistance mechanism. 'This militarised system endangers lives and violates international standards on aid distribution, as the United Nations has repeatedly warned.'
