Introductory remarks of AmbassadorClaude Heller, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nationsat the seminar on Migration and Youth: Overcoming Health Challenges.

New York, 28 April 2011

Ms. Yvonne Lodico, Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, UNITAR.

Ms. Ann Pawliczko, Senior Project Adviser of the United Nations Population Found,

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is a pleasure to participate in this important event whose purpose is to examine the challenges and opportunities of international migration for youth. I would stress that this initiative is particularly timely as it occurs in the context of the International Youth Year and the thematic debate on migration and development that will be held in the General Assembly on May 19.

More than 1.500 million young people between 15 and 24 years who live in the world are demanding fast and precise responses that meet their needs and enable them to contribute to the development of their communities. Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa are evidence of the ability of young people to be a factor for change in our societies and to exercisefreely their political rights with an impact that few months before seemed unimaginable. Youth is a vibrant force for change in accordance with universal rights and values and thanking in to account the context of every country.

The world is changing and one of the drivers of these changes is the new technologies, especially the Internet and the so called “social networks” which are spaces that can provide the basis for the dissemination of ideas and civic mobilization.

The relevance of social networks in the Tunisia and Egypt revolutions shows that societies have paved the way for new spaces for political organization and participation.

Facing this reality, States and societies around the world must reflect on the asset that their young population represent and promote youth participation in the economic, political and cultural spheres.

In the case of Mexico, 1 of 3 Mexicans is a young person between 12 and 29 years old. In 2012, Mexico will reach the maximum number of youth in its history, just over 36 million young people. This represents an opportunity and a challenge for the country as these millions of young people require quality services of education and health care as well as employment opportunities for their personal development.

Mexico´s National Youth Policy aims precisely at establishing lines of action to expand opportunities for development and competitiveness of young people on a crosscutting manner. It promotes public policies for youth focused on cooperation between different levels of government, the private sector and civil society.

The demographic bonus observed in much of the developing world and in many emerging economies should give a sense of urgency and priority to youth development at the national and international level. These demographic trendsmust be borne in mind when discussing other issues on the international agenda particularly international migration.

Young people are part of the migration cycle for various reasons. A large group of young migrants leave their countries of origin seeking for better living conditions, others simply want to expand their horizons and, given the entrepreneurial spirit of youth to know new cultures and get different life experiences.

Every year, universities and research or high-tech centers welcome thousands of young people from around the world. It is not exaggerated to say that the countries with centers of educational excellence, particularly developed countries, are the first beneficiaries of the best young talent in the world. The cases of young entrepreneurs are increasingly known and their economic and social impact is increasing.

Young migrants provide the best years of their productive lives to the host societieswhere they settle and also enrich the cultural landscape. On the other hand, they are agents of change and development in their communities of origin.

Unfortunately, in many cases, these young migrants are victims of discrimination and human rights violations.

Dear colleagues,

At the multilateral level, Mexico deems essential to achieve the internationally agreed development goals fully taking into account the youth perspective in order to have lasting results in the medium and long term.

Under this logic, the Government of Mexico, in collaboration with the United Nations system, organized an International Youth Conference, held from 23 to 27 August 2010, in the city of León, Guanajuato, Mexico.

The issues discussed during the conference were those identified as the most relevant to youth: poverty, employment, education, technology and innovation, health, gender equality, security, social justice, human rights, sustainable development, international migration, citizenship and international cooperation. The conference promoted a dialogue between governments, civil society and youth organizations about the need to develop public policies that engage youth in a crosscutting manner, as well as clearly identify priorities and needs of youth. The Conference was attended by 116 Delegations and nearly 4,000 young people participated in official and parallel meetings. About 180,000 people had access to the activities of the Conference from electronic platforms.

EscucharLeer fonéticamenDiccionarioWe believe that the conclusions of the Conference in Mexico, known as the “Guanajuato Declaration” will be a valuable input in the context of the United Nations World Youth Conference that would take place in July of this year.

Let me now turn briefly to the issues that are part of today’s agenda and which were addressed during the Conference in Mexico:

Regarding health, the Guanajuato Declaration recognizes the need to ensure the full realization of the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for young people and strengthen efforts to achieve the goals and targets of MDGs 4, 5 and 6:

  • Stresses the importance of involving young people in programmes that promote a lifestyle and healthy nutrition, sports, physical activity, rest and leisure.
  • Calls upon States to increase the quality and coverage of health care services, including reproductive health and ensure access for young people to health without discrimination.

On the issue of international migration of young people, the Declaration:

  • Recognizes that young migrants represent a great asset for sustaining economic development in countries of destination and origin.
  • Calls upon States to adopt comprehensive immigration policies that promote and protect human rights of migrants, including young migrants, to fully achieve the positive effects of migration.
  • Encourages agreements between countries of origin, transit and destination for young people and young workers to migrate safely, preventing them from being subject to exploitation and violence.

On the issue of employment and decent work, one of the main demands of youth worldwide, the Guanajuato Declaration calls upon States to:

  • Develop policies to advance access to jobs for young people as a priority in national development frameworks and policies of employment;
  • Take measures aimed at promoting decent work among young people: including first employment policies, training, internships, programs to promote entrepreneurship among young people, as well as measures to facilitate the transition of young workers from informal to formal employment and from temporary to regular jobs.
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Finally, I should note that States and the international community must invest more to improve opportunities for youth development, which will have a positive impact on society as a whole. Young migrants must be considered in this context.

Despite the international recognition of youth as agents for development, it is difficult to translate this recognition into concrete commitments and actions. Young people form a very large and diverse segment of population and are an evolving and ever changing group. Lack of opportunities make them also victims of various types of violence, including from organized crime, which becomes increasingly attractive for them if the State and society are not able to fulfill their expectations and needs.

The World Youth Conference should promote the widest possible participation of youth organizations and young people around the world and define specific measures for monitoring and implement the World Programme of Action for Youth to have a real impact outside of the UN and in the lives of young people across the word.

The aspirations and needs of youth differ around the world and within countries and therefore the responses of Governments and partnerships with the private sector and civil society should be broad and comprehensive. The diversity of youth is precisely one of its principal assets, and it must not be unattended if we want to build a better world for the next generations.

Thank you very much,