DMUN Foundation Executive Director Delivers Opening Statement on Behalf of Children and Youth at the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
(In order from left to right): -Top: H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; H.E. Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the Economic and Social Council and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United States; Ms. Cherith Norman Chalet, Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management -Bottom: Mr. Jaewon Choi, Executive Director of the DMUN Foundation ⓒ Mr. Kielan Santos of the DMUN Foundation
Mr. Choi, 17, addressed Heads of State and Government, ministers, ambassadors, and delegations in his capacity as the Thematic Focal Point of the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, a designated youth constituency at the United Nations engaging more than 20,000 youth organizations across over 50 UN processes. He is the youngest Opening Speaker of the High-level Political Forum since the creation of its predecessor, the Commission on Sustainable Development in 1992.
His speech was joined by other speakers of the Opening Segment, who included H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly; Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; and H.E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the Economic and Social Council and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, who chaired the meeting and delivered the keynote address.
"No generation is less represented in this hall. No generation is more affected by the consequences of what this institution decides," Mr. Choi told the assembled ministers, noting that more than 400 young people, over 150 of them children, were present at this year's Forum.
In his statement, Mr. Choi conveyed the messages of children and youth on the future of multilateralism and the UN80 reform process, the Sustainable Development Goals under review this year, the implementation of the Pact for the Future, and meaningful youth engagement across the United Nations system. Among the key proposals were the launch of an intergovernmental process towards a UN Convention on Sovereign Debt, the protection of stakeholder engagement functions throughout the UN80 reforms, and the establishment of a Local Community Fund for Sustainable Development.
Recalling the opening words of the UN Charter, "We the Peoples",Mr. Choi closed with a direct appeal to Member States: "Do not simply listen to us. Respond, deliver, and act with us."
Following Mr. Choi's statement, the General Debate of the High-level Segment opened under the theme "Delivering better: accelerating urgent and transformative action to achieve the SDGs by 2030." Held from 13 to 15 July, the debate was opened by H.E. Ms. Carolina Cosse, Vice President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, and convened Ministers and other high-level representatives of Member States, intergovernmental organizations, the United Nations system, and Major Groups and other Stakeholders. The Republic of Korea was represented by H.E. Mr. Wookjin Chong, Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs.
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