EU Statement - UN General Assembly: Report of the United Nations Youth Office

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* as well as, Andorra and San Marino, align themselves with this statement.

The EU welcomes the 2025 Report of the UN Youth Office and commends the Secretary-General and the Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs on their leadership in advancing the UN’s commitment to young persons worldwide.

We express our appreciation for the Youth Office’s sustained efforts since its establishment in scaling up meaningful youth participation across the UN system. We also welcome the convening by the UN Youth Office of recurrent meetings to update Member States on the activities carried out by the Office.

The EU strongly believes that young persons are not only beneficiaries, but first and foremost essential partners in building sustainable, peaceful, and inclusive societies. We remain steadfast in our commitment to support young persons as key partners in our efforts towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the promotion of peace and security, and the fulfilment of human rights.

We welcome the launch of the Youth Office’s Strategic Plan 2025–2028, with its focus on strengthening meaningful youth engagement, enhancing system-wide coordination, and promoting socio-economic opportunities for young people. These priorities align with the values and commitments of the EU, as we place young persons at the centre of our activities both within the EU and in our external action.

We commend the Youth Office for formally establishing, in collaboration with DPPA and UNFPA, a dedicated secretariat to coordinate system-wide efforts on Youth, Peace and Security and encourage the Youth Office to continue advocating for the full implementation of the YPS agenda. 

It is important for youth participation to move beyond symbolism. It must be institutionalised, inclusive, and adequately resourced. The EU remains committed to supporting the UN Youth Office in its efforts to strengthen accountability, broaden access, and safeguard the participation of young persons, including girls and young women, young persons with disabilities, and those from marginalised communities. We are proud to support to these efforts with an ongoing contribution of 1 million Euro, to ensure that the Youth Office has the resources it needs to deliver.

We call on all Member States to continue investing in young persons, to trust them in decision-making processes and with leadership, and to ensure that their voices are heard and acted upon. The future of multilateralism depends on the full, equal and meaningful participation of the world’s young people.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.