Madam Chair,

We come to this Forum with a strong call for the youth’s meaningful participation and partnership in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This requires not just dreaming about the future, but more importantly, demands all of us to act now to move the youth agenda forward.

The Philippine Government recognizes the vital and indispensable role of the youth in nation-building. Guided by the Philippine Youth Development Plan 2017-2022, a plan anchored on the SDGs, we will do more.

Even before engaging the youth in governance became fashionable and necessary, and long before the adoption of Goal 16, the Philippines has paved the way in putting a high premium on youth participation in governance and in the policy making process. This is done through the village youth councils called Sangguniang Kabataan or SK. The SKs are the elected youth representatives in the local government and they play an important role in formulating and advocating policies and programs that directly affect and empower the youth.

Madam Chair, indeed, engaging the youth as active partners in achieving the SDGs is everybody’s concern. There is still much work to be done in order to realize these goals and attaining our collective vision.

We will continue empowering the youth, for only when we empower our young people, can we truly achieve a more peaceful, developed, inclusive, just and sustainable future for all.

Thank you.