Address to the 3rd Committee of the United Nations

Orginal speech delivered by Benson Saulo on the 4th Oct 2011.

Mr. Chair and fellow delegates,

I am delighted to address the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly as the Australian Youth Ambassador. As the world’s gaze is fixed on the impact that young people continue to have on societies around the globe, it is a privilege to represent the optimistic views and aspirations of Australian Youth.

My journey from growing up in the country town of Tamworth, New South Wales, attending a government school, to standing before you on the world stage as the first Aboriginal Australian to be appointed as Youth Ambassador is a testament to the opportunities available in Australia, an Australia that invests in human potential, an Australia that supports individual growth and community development.

I represent a generation that strongly believes that our future is not defined by borders or boundaries, race or religion but by our sense of responsibility to each other, an inherent sense of a global community which is premised on relationships and accountability.

Mr. Chair,

In May this year I began my National Engagement Tour, a tour that is undertaken to gain a deeper understanding of issues affecting young people at a local, national and international level. I themed my tour ‘Towards a Unified Australia’. It was inspired by a 2010 speech by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, in which he discussed the steps taken, and journey still to go, for Australia to become a reconciled nation.

I have had the amazing opportunity to travel throughout Australia, over 38,000kms across our diverse and ancient landscape, visiting every State and Territory. I engaged over 10,000 people face-to-face and through social media. This opportunity continues to impact me not only as the Youth Ambassador but as a young Australian.

I have witnessed the challenges that continue to face families and young people living with disabilities, their teachers’ real concern for their student’s transition into further education and supported work, their family’s ongoing struggle for affordable carers. I have felt the weight of hopelessness in our most fragile communities, struggling with the intergenerational impacts of drugs, alcohol and cultural degradation. I have heard the concerns of the widening social gaps between generations and the growing trend of looking inward rather than looking outward.

While these concerns are very real, I am also filled with a sense of hope and optimism in the progress being made to address these issues. Knowledge that our commitment to our community still exists and our commitment to promote an equal and inclusive society is the core aspiration of enthusiastic and audacious young Australians.

Over the past 6 months I have had a particular focus on health, education, human rights and Indigenous affairs. My journey has provided an insight into each of these areas and has also highlighted the underlying common thread binding these areas; Education.

I am proud to say that the youth of Australia and the Australian government share a common vision, which is reflected in the commitments laid out in our National Strategy for Young Australians: “That all young people grow up safe, healthy, happy and resilient, and have the opportunities and skills they need to learn, work and engage in community life, and influence decisions that affect them.”

In the recent ‘Listen to Children’ report produced by the Australian Child Rights Taskforce, a coalition of 100 organizations, including UNICEF working with over 750 young people, identified that;

“There are specific groups of children who are not always afforded the same educational opportunities as other students, denying capacity to fulfill their potential. These groups include: Aboriginal children, children from refugee and newly arrived backgrounds and children with disabilities.”

Mr. Chair,

Education is the basis for the development of our future leaders, leaders in business, leaders in innovation and ultimately leaders in our society. We as a nation believe to truly build capacity and equip, not only these identified groups but wider society, with the tools to fulfill their potential – we must rethink education; we must rethink its delivery and its role in the development and engagement of young people.

It is with this conviction that we have taken positive steps to support diverse learning styles including formal, informal, alternative and bilingual modes of education because we believe in the vital importance of engaging all of our multicultural, multifaceted communities.

Beyond our shores, Australia is focused on supporting education programs throughout Asia, the pacific and the world. In Indonesia, Australia is helping to build over 4000 schools, enabling 650,000 children from the poorest families to receive a decent education. In Pakistan we are supporting the enrollment of 46,000 girls in rural primary schools. Enabling young people with disabilities to have access to education is a large component of the support Australia provides within the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia provides support for the transition from primary to secondary school for children with hearing impairment and intellectual disabilities in Samoa and we are supporting the Papua New Guinean Department of Education to produce disability inclusive infrastructure guidelines for schools.

Mr. Chair,

I am a firm believer that instilling a sense of social responsibility begins with the individual through exposure to and awareness of social issues. This awareness is also being supported through the rapid expansion of access to the internet and social media – empowering all generations to be connected and engaged in domestic and international dialogue, sharing and change.

My vision for the future of society lies in the fundamental belief that I am my brothers’ keeper; I am my sisters’ keeper. Understanding, that the lack of meaningful consultation at a grass-roots level prior to implementing unprecedented measures affecting these same communities; has an impact on all of our voices, in all of our communities. That 8 million displaced young people due to conflict, famine and environmental emergencies; has an impact on all of our abilities to ensure a secure future for humanity.

These are the impacts that we as a nation, we as a global community, must realize are not diminished by geographical and cultural divide because in a world that is becoming ever more technologically interconnected, as a global citizen, I believe, so to must our way of thinking.

Mr. Chair,

I support the Australian Child Rights Taskforce recommendation to establish an independent National Children’s Commissioner. A Commissioner with the key responsibility of: establishing the strategic direction for youth based policy development and monitoring the extent to which Australian children are realizing their rights under the United Nation’s Convention of the Rights of the Child which Australia ratified in 1991.

The creation of National Children Commissioners, not only in Australia but abroad, would be an important step for youth throughout the world, to ensure that their voices are heard and respected and to ensure that youth services are adequately resourced, implemented and supported through strong governmental frameworks.

Mr. Chair,

While there are many challenges and obstacles that face young people in Australia, and indeed globally, the sense of optimism in the future is evident. It is the young boy in the small town of Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, who wants to become a police officer so he can keep his community safe, it is the Noongah language teachers from Bunbury, Western Australia who believe culture is as relevant in our society today as ever, it is the vision shared by the young African refugee in Darwin with her goal to study medicine in Melbourne, Victoria.

These young people bare witness to the hope burning in our nation for a bright future for all, regardless of race, religion or gender. Through a continued focus on education, social responsibility and support for young people’s voices we can and must provide the opportunities that all young people deserve and that their rights specify under the convention. I have great faith that positive change through social development is attainable in our communities, in our institutions and indeed in our generation.

Thank you.

Reflection: A six week whirlwind

I write this from New York, a city with almost as many residents as the population of Australia. A city that anything can be ordered online and delivered to your door, a city where more than 7 different languages can be heard on any street block. This is where I am based for the next 3 months at the Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations as the Australian Youth Ambassador. I will be working on the 3rd Committee of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Since May this year I have been working up to this point. It seems that since High School I have been working up to this point – growing up in Tamworth, living, studying and working in Sydney before making a move to Melbourne which changed my perspective, goals and direction in life.

It truly is a once in a life time opportunity. Firstly to travel over 38,000kms from the east to the west coast of Australia meeting some of the most incredible, inspiring young people. Secondly, to address the United Nations General Assembly, representing Australian youth, what we as young people are passionate about and what issues on a local, national and international level impact us.

Over the past 6 weeks there hasn’t been much time for reflection and evaluation but I would like to share some of my thoughts of this whirlwind adventure I have been on, particularly over these past 6 weeks. Quietly listening to Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu I think I also need to digest what these weeks have brought to my life.

To give you a quick overview; since May I have only been in Melbourne for 9 days so I took the opportunity following the National Sister Cities Conference in Toowoomba to head home. I remained living out of my suitcase because it is a lot easier to pick-up and go when you need too. Its not that easy saying goodbye to partner ofcourse, particularly one that you never see but is always so supportive. I left for Sydney where I stayed 6 days, attended various meetings, including attending an Ifta Dinner – it is the feast to break Ramadan. I shared this dinner with a wonderful Turkish family and their friends as part of Affinity Interfaith Dialogue. A wonderful organisation that believe strongly that while we may come from different places and have different beliefs we can still share, learn and inspire each other. A special night that I will remember for a long time.

Before I knew it, I was on a plane ready for a 19hr flight from Sydney, via Dubai to Zurich, Switzerland where I attended One Young World. A conference that attracted over 1300 Delegates from over 150 Nations that supported discussions and debates on Global Business, Sustainable Development, the Environment, Leadership and Health. Out of the 300 applications I was lucky enough to be one of the six speakers chosen to speak on Leadership. It was a great moment but not my highlight. The highlight wasn’t the amazing speaker sessions or celebrities, although Sir Bob Geldof and Mr Desmond Tutu both took my breath away – picture old friends who love what they do, are both very wise and yet love to have a laugh, particularly at each other – this was them in their opening addresses.

My highlight was the conversations between sessions, the discussions over dinner and friendly handshakes followed by debates on global issues which often were followed by another handshake, swapping of business cards, a laugh and another Facebook friend. These moments stood out because you were talking to real people, people from various backgrounds, people driven by their own experiences, by their struggle for change in their nations, driven by a thirst for knowledge, understanding and global friendship.

At this conference, there were tears in the room, there were shouts of ecstatic young people and there were moments of piecing silence. Almost every emotion a person can feel in a lifetime was felt in 4days surrounded by newly found friends.

I returned to Sydney for 5nights – 2 were sleepless due to jet-lag, another was a wedding and dinner with my family, including my mother who made the trip from Dareton, NSW to see me off to New York. I arrived in NYC after another 18hr flight on the 12th Sept. 2011.

Since being in New York, I have had the amazing opportunity to meet our Foreign Minister Mr Rudd, Mr Quinlan the Australian Ambassador the the United Nations, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Tonga as well as Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, Tonga, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. Infact, tomorrow morning I have a meeting with Minister Peter Garrett, Australian Minister for Youth (and rock star!).

A journey that began in May has become a lifestyle. A lifestyle of travel, living out of a suitcase and sleeping on couches, but also a lifestyle that inspires me on a daily basis, supports me when I’m jet-lagged or exhausted and a lifestyle that allows me to view the world differently and with greater empathy, understanding and awareness.

I addressed the 3rd Committee on the 3rd October 2011. In my address I had a particular focus on education, social responsibility and young peoples voices. Three vital areas in the ongoing development of society particularly a socially minded society. One that is equipped with the tools to address existing social issues particularly unemployment, food crisis and food security, environmental impacts and the ongoing financial and economic pressures especially in developing nations.

Over the coming weeks I will be working on a number of United Nations Resolutions addressing Financial and Economic crisis impact on youth, youth with disables and Indigenous issues. I will be working with 24 other Youth Representatives from 18 nations and together we continue to have a strong focus on youth inclusive policy and youth supportive frameworks.

Watch my address to the 3rd Committee

Watch my address to the One Young World Conference

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The urgency of now: youth leadership

It is with great pleasure that in a few weeks I will be addressing the One Young World Conference in Zurich Switzerland, not only as the 2011 Australian Youth Ambassador to the United Nations but as a global citizen, as someone who believes that our future is not defined by borders and boundaries, race or religion but rather the fundamental belief that I am my brothers keeper,  that I am my sisters keeper.

The belief that our lives are as connected as the tops of the trees to the roots in the soil. In 1966 Robert Kennedy, addressing the youth of south Africa said:

“we can perhaps remember that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life, that they seek as we do nothing but the chance, to live out their lives in purpose and happiness.”

It is this sense of responsibility to our fellow man that brings together over 1000 delegates to the One Young World Conference. We seek this purpose and happiness, not for ourselves but for our family, our friends and future generations.

This is the social footprint we hope to leave behind as we continue to kick down the doors that remain closed to young people throughout the world. These impacts create vibrations that shake the foundations of institutions moored in time, not to break but to build. Build better structures supporting young people.

I often quote Pericles – a Greek General from 500 – 400BC who stated:

“What we leave behind is not what is carved into stone monuments but what is woven in the hearts of others.”

While this quote is over two thousand years old it still rings true today. It is this common thread that binds us at every interaction, it is a rich tapestry of hope, passion and the sense of urgency.

A motif that I have witnessed on my travels throughout Australia, traveling over 32,000kms, engaging over 10,000 people face-to-face and through social media.

It is the urgency that formed the words of the Honduras Minister for Youth at the recent United Nations High Level Meeting on Youth when he said “We must vanquish that age-old cliche that the future belongs to the youth, for it is the present that belongs to the youth.” It is the passion the Foreign Minister for Tunisia showed when, referring to us as the Dot-Com Generation, he stated “we are counting on their strength to fulfill the promises of the revolution”. It is the hope shared by a school principal in Remote Northern Australia when he told me no one had graduated grade 12 in seven years but pointing out 4 students said these 4 students have the potential to be the first in their family, in their community to graduate and break the cycle of disadvantage that has gripped their town.

The 12th August 2011 brought to a close the International Year of Youth, themed Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. A wonderful and thoughtful theme that I believe should not be limited to the 12 month International Year of Youth but rather something we should continue to strive for at a local, national and international level.

I call on political leaders in Australia and throughout the world at all levels of Government to empower, support and develop young people in the decision making process with transparent and strong framework accessible to young people.

Support and develop youth leadership, not as tokenistic, short term project but as a meaningful investment into youthful enthusiasm, into the inherent sense of a global community in which responsibility and accountability is supported through transparent and tangible governmental framework.

Strengthening relations, bridging generational divide, enabling young people to have a voice in the direction of the country through participation, this must serve as youth engagement policy.

Young people are the most valuable human resource in the world but this resource remains unrealised throughout the world. I call on Governments to support the next generation of leaders, not only at a local level but on the world stage with clear, accessible channels to voice their concerns and hopes with tangible outcomes.

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Statement at the High Level Meeting on Youth

Statement delivered on the 26th July 2011 at the United Nations General Assembly – High Level Meeting on Youth

As the 2011 Australian Youth Representative it gives me great pleasure to represent the views, hopes and optimism of Australian youth in today’s discussion.

I am the first Aboriginal Australian to be appointed to the youth representative position since it began in 1999. It is not only a great honour but a wonderful reflection on the young people of Australia who promote and support an inclusive and equal society.

It has been a privilege meeting with and listening to Australia’s youth share their hopes and aspirations for the future of our nation.

I am proud to say that the youth of Australia and the Australian government share a common vision, which is reflected in the commitments laid out in our National Strategy for Young Australians:

“That all young people grow up safe, healthy, happy and resilient, and have the opportunities and skills they need to learn, work and engage in community life, and influence decisions that affect them.”

Our National Strategy identifies eight key priorities including Health, Education and empowering young people to have a voice and be active in their communities.

I am a firm believer that access to relevant, formal, informal and alternate education is key to address areas that continue to affect Australian youth in all areas of society from overcoming disadvantage to influencing the current and future direction of our nation.

In the recent ‘Listen to Children’ report produced by UNICEF it noted that;

“There are specific groups of children who are not always afforded the same educational opportunities as other students, denying capacity to fulfill their potential. These groups include: Aboriginal children, children from refugee and newly arrived backgrounds and children with disabilities.”

During my National Tour, I attending a school in a small remote town in Northern Territory, a part of Australia that has had particular focus on ‘Closing the Gap’ between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians within the Key Indicators of Life Expectancy, Employment and Educational outcomes. The Principal walked me around the school advising that no student has graduated high school in this town for the past seven years. As we continued, he then pointed out three young girls and one young boy, only in grade eight. He said ‘these four students have the potential to be the first in their family and community to graduate high school and break the cycle of disadvantage within this town.”

Beyond our shores, Australia is focussed on supporting education programs throughout Asia, the pacific and the world.

In Indonesia, Australia is helping to build over 4000 schools, enabling 650,000 children from the poorest families to receive a decent education. In Pakistan we are supporting the enrollment of 46,000 girls in rural primary schools. The empowerment of young girls in Laos through education is being realised with the increase of primary education completion rates from 60 per cent in 2005 to 72 per cent in 2008, with a ratio of 84 girls enrolled for every 100 boys.

Enabling young people with disabilities to have access to education is a large component of the support Australia provides within the AsiaPacific region. Australia provides support for the transition from primary to secondary school for children with hearing impairment and intellectual disabilities in Samoa. We are supporting the Papua New Guinean Department of Education to produce disability inclusive infrastructure guidelines for schools.

One of the reports key recommendations was for;

Australia to establish an independent National Children’s Commissioner with the specific tasked responsibility of: establishing the strategic direction for youth based policy development.”

This will be the next big step for Australia and will ensure young peoples voices are heard and youth services are adequately resourced and implemented. A national children’s commissioner  will also complement the youth peak bodies and youth forums currently engaging young people and advocating on their behalf.

While there are many challenges and obstacles that face young people in Australia and indeed globally, the sense of optimism in the future is evident throughout communities, thanks to the open and frank dialogue we have been engaged in over the past few days.

Thank you.

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It was a enormous honour to address the general assembly. With time restraints of 3.5mins a lot of the areas I wished to highlight weren’t possible however working with the Australian Permanent Mission the areas of focus within this statement will lead very well into my final statement at the 66th Session of the General Assembly in September.

For all nations that made a statement (over 105 registered speakers) there were only 5 representatives of youth. The other speakers were made up of Heads of State, Ministers, Ambassadors and Representatives of NGO’s.

I feel it was important to highlight the benefits of implementing an Independent National Children and Young Peoples Commission as the commissioner will not only add value to the positive areas within the youth sector and services but will identify areas that need improvement in all areas of the Youth landscape.

Education was a common theme throughout the 2day High Level Meeting. It was very promising to see that governments from around the world understood the challenges they currently face and shared ways to overcome these challenges. It was also very promising to see a large number of young people who are passionate about making positive change in their nations and the world.

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Dialogue and Mutual Understanding

The theme of the 2011 International year of Youth is; Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. Two very important components in the discussion of acknowledgement of the contribution young people make to society. Dialogue; relating to open channels of communication, promoting cross-generational, cross-cultural discussion. Mutual Understanding; implies a level of understanding with common frames of reference within the context that is known by two parties.

Over the coming months I will be engaging in dialogue with individuals and organisations working and living in various industries with diverse backgrounds and upbringings. For this particular piece I would like to focus on the ‘Mutual Understanding’ as a component of the International theme as I believe it is a very strong point of discussion when engaging in dialogue.

My question is related to frames of reference and the context of which an understanding can be achieved.

“Some people think intellect counts; knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy.”

Dean Koontz: American novelist and New York Times Best Seller.

I believe Dean Koontz is correct in the idea that intellect has it limitations without the five components being embraced, I also feel that the key to mutual understanding is empathy. The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. A powerful concept, and in some cases an unfathomable task when reflecting on experiences individuals endure over the courses of their lives.

How can you truly understand a persons experience without experiencing their life and walking in their shoes? How can we encourage cross-cultural discussion without understanding the culture?

These are very important questions when embarking on a journey of understanding but it is these questions that can become road blocks in the path of compassion and empathy, if you do not posses the courage to seek their answers. Our understanding as human beings and individuals is interrelated with our frames of reference and experience. Therefore no two people can have the exact same understanding or experience in a situation. I find this concept exciting and challenging at the same time.

Plato Quotes:

“Human behavior flows from three main sources; desire, emotion and knowledge”

If Plato is right in assuming human behavior comes from desire, emotion and knowledge then it could be considered that one way to achieve Mutual Understanding is through breaking down experience, culture and frames of reference to their basic forms in relation to desire, emotion and knowledge; both of intellect and knowledge of self.

If all human behaviors come from these three sources than these are the basis for an understanding to be formed before empathy, a key component of Mutual Understanding can truly begin.

In that case, walking a mile in another’s shoes, or understanding a persons culture isn’t imperative to form a Mutual Understanding. It is the journey which is undertaken by you to understand how these experiences and beliefs are formed.

But how do you break down experiences, culture and frames of reference without trivialising and minimising these three areas?

Dialogue. Conversation. Engaging. Listening.

This is where the theme of the International year of Youth becomes fully realised. As Dialogue begins to play the lead role over Mutual Understanding. Courage, Friendship, Love are the key components of Dialogue.

The courage to allow yourself to connect with another, be vulnerable and honest, having the strength to test your own beliefs. Friendship is based on trust and allowing yourself to form an emotional linked through sharing experiences and culture and finally love, not romantic love but rather the love for life, the love of learning, the love that goes beyond race and religion.

I recently met a young mother, aged 19 who has recently undertaken a pre-employment course to enable her the skills to begin working within the hospitality industry. I’ve never met this young woman before but I listened as she shared her story of being a proud young mother who wants to support her child and ensure he is raised knowing the importance of an education and employment.

While I listened it was clear to me that I did not have the same pressures growing up as a 19yr old or even at 23 but I could relate to the pride this young woman has for her baby and the want for him to have a stable and supportive upbringing because that was the environment I grew-up in with my family. I could understand her want to successfully complete her training and attain a job because I’ve trained and I know the feeling of obtaining that job. It was through her ability to be courageous, show that vulnerability and trust me, a stranger with her struggles and aspirations that allowed me to connect and empathise through my own reflections and experiences. This is where a Mutual Understanding is created.

Dialogue and Mutual Understand; the theme for the International Year of Youth, just the beginning of an amazing journey, of which no two are the same, so share yours.

ACTION:

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