LIVE: Ban Ki-moon to address hundreds of young people in Brussels

27 May 2015 – Special guest, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will address young people at an event on the role of youth in the post-2015 agenda.

The event, organised by the European Commission and the United Nations, is called: “Our World, our Dignity, our Future. The post-2015 agenda and the role of youth” and will be hosted at the Palais des Beaux-Arts (BOZAR) from 16h00 to 18h00. It will be livestreamed to audiences across the world (http://un4.me/YouthNow).

2015: a pivotal year for development

Mr Ban’s visit is set within the European Year for Development, which showcases Europe’s commitment to poverty eradication. While in Brussels, he will – amongst others – be engaged in meetings with the European Commission, Parliament and Council.

2015 is also crucial year for the UN itself, the year in which the post-2015 development agenda will be agreed upon, including the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this new agenda, the role of youth is central, as they are the future leaders and participants in development. Recognizing this, our young people should therefore be actively engaged in shaping the new development agenda.

Engaging with youth at the BOZAR

To enable this, next week’s event will feature an interactive debate between the Secretary-General and Youth Ambassadors, and will be broadcast in selected schools across the European Union.

During the event, a group of young people will get the chance to get involved by asking Mr Ban their most pressing questions on development, the post-2015 agenda and other issues that are priorities for young people.

How to participate

You will be able to follow the event via the live stream.

What do you think are the most pressing youth issues for the post-2015 agenda? How should young people be involved? Do let us know your comments by tweeting using the hashtag #AskBanKimoon.

More information

To find out more on how the UN is engaging with youth issues, check out the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth’s website, Facebook or Twitter.