Lampiran 3

Statement byM. Iman Usman

Member of Indonesian Delegate

At

The Plenary Meeting ofThe High Level Meeting on Youth

26 July 2011

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Mr. President,

Let me begin by sharing the grief and pains of the people and the government of Norway over the heinous act of terror that took place last week causing many bright young Norwegians to lose their lives.

We would like to convey our deepest sympathy and condolences to the government and the people of Norway and the bereaved families over their tragic loss.

Mr. President,

At the outset, Indonesia would like to align itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Argentina on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Earlier this year, the UN Population Commission revealed that the world population is now close to 7 billion and, I should underline, nearly half of this population is under the age of 25.

This reality constitutes both a potential and many challenges.

The challenges are closely connected to the world’s capacity to sustain human life, given the numbers involved. Could the earth’s available resources provide each of us with greater prosperity?

As we gather here today, we are reminded that young people today face the obstacles of famine, poverty,drug-related crimes, armed-conflict as well as foreign occupation, among others, in realizing their potential.

Against that background, there is no reason for us but to enhance our cooperation in addressing these challenges that youth all over the world are facing.

This historical High Level Meeting is therefore timely and crucial, because youth are the stakeholders of the immediate future in all societies. They are the custodians of the world’s cultures, traditions and norms, as well as the engine of global change. They represent boundless energy and potential as future leaders.

As for Indonesia, youth constitute a quarter of our population. They have always and will continue to play an important role in our history.

It was the youth of Indonesia who shaped our national identity and in the late 1990s,they initiated the journey toward our democracyand political transformation.

Mr. President,

We are of the view that youth employment and entrepreneurship will contribute to poverty eradication.

We therefore need to collaborate in finding ways to prevent increasing unemployment among young people. We must invest in sectors that generate jobs for them. We must also work towards a global network for youth employment.

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In this spirit, Mr. President, Indonesia will spare no effort to promote the role and contributions of youth in development.We believe the importance of education in equipping young people to shape and take control of the future. Indonesia will continue to pursue the goal of providing young people with a sound education.

As part of our regional and global commitments, we have been hosting regional and international conferences on youth to increase awareness and promote cultural diversity, dialogue and mutual understanding among youth.

The most recent was the ASEAN Youth Forum and Festival held in May 2011 on ‘Enriching ASEAN Culture through Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Education towards ASEAN Community 2015’.

As Chairman of ASEAN in 2011, Indonesia is determined to make ASEAN a more people-centered organization with the full participation of our young people.

Mr. President,

The primary responsibility for ensuring youth development lies with individual States. However, one of the key assets for successful national endeavors is international cooperation.

Cooperation among international stakeholders is vital in contributing to youth programmesofall participating nations. Through cooperation, nations can exchange information about best practices and lessons learned, as well as intensify active support for youth programmes.

Within this context, the draft Declaration that we are going to adopt, should encourage all of us to not only reaffirm our strong commitment to the shared objective of building a better world for all, but also in making tangible contributions to improve the prospects of young people.

Let me conclude, Mr. President, by underlying the importance of synchronizing our policies and actions so that we can bettertranslate our joint commitment through concrete that benefit the future generations.

I thank you.

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