UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, celebrates International Youth Day by reaffirming and recognizing the central role of young people in promoting the well-being of their families, communities and nations. This year's theme, "The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Production and Consumption," couldn't be more relevant and timely.

More than 500 million youth worldwide live in poverty, and often cannot afford their basic needs. They lack access to vital resources, and are disproportionately represented amongst the world's poor. They have the most to gain if we succeed in eradicating poverty, and will have the most to lose if we fail. The good news is that young people are not the problem, as is often thought, but, in fact, they are the solution.

Last year, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which requires us to balance the needs of present and future generations, create economic growth without destroying natural resources and reduce consumption while enforcing well-being and dignity.

To achieve these goals, a fundamental shift is needed. We must make decisions on the allocation of resources while keeping the interests of future generations in mind. We must make investments in social sectors that improve the resilience of individuals and communities. And we must place the fulfilment of human rights at the centre of development.

Globally, large youth populations represent a historic opportunity to introduce progress and adopt innovative solutions to ignite this change. Essential to this is the realization of young people's rights to participate in the political, economic and social life of their communities and countries, and to freely make informed choices regarding their bodies, sexuality and reproduction without discrimination, violence or coercion.

To empower young people means giving them the tools to become even more influential, productive actors in their societies. In order to achieve this, countries need to end all forms of discrimination faced by young people, particularly adolescent girls, such as forced and child marriage and sexual violence, which can result in unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and HIV infections, and risk derailing their future.

Central to these efforts must be the promotion of access to education, health services, including sexual and reproductive health and family planning. These combined interventions are critical in order to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, strengthen the resilience of populations in the face of all challenges and seize the opportunities of the new economy.

Young people are already driving innovations in science and technology, making conscious choices that are drastically influencing patterns of consumption and production, and mobilizing to make companies, organizations and governments more socially and environmentally responsible. Where they can get information, technology, financing, mentorship, and platforms for collaboration, young innovators are able to turn their ideas into transformative solutions.

UNFPA is proud to partner with young people in more than 150 countries and territories around the world to promote their participation and leadership, enabling them to overcome barriers, spearhead innovations and unleash their full potential.

UNFPA calls on governments, development partners and other influencers to enact policies that promote young people's development and human rights, and to measure progress across the Sustainable Development Goals that relate to adolescents and youth. Young people must be engaged as partners in achieving these goals, as they are the generation that will inherit our planet.

An adolescent girl who is 10 years old today will be an adult of 24 in 2030, the target year for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. We must ensure that her path through adolescence and youth leads to a brighter future for herself, her community and the world - that is paved with rights upheld, opportunities realized and promises fulfilled. END

Versaun Tetum

Juventude no futuru 2030

12 Agusto 2016

Statementu husi Direitor Ezekutivu UNFPA, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, ba Loron International ba Juventude

UNFPA, Fundus Nasoens Unidas ba Populasaun, selebra Loron Internasional ba Juventude liu husi afirmasaun rekunhese papel sentral husi juventude sira hodi promove moris diak ba sira nia familia, komunidade no nasaun sira. Tema ba tinan ida nee maka, "Futuru ba 2030: Halakon Kiak no Atinji Produsaun no Konsumpsaun nebe sustentavel," nebe relevante no tuir tempo.

Juventude liu milhaun 500 iha mundu maka moris iha kiak, no dalabarak labele hetan sira ninia nesesidade baziku. Sira menus asesu ba rekursus nebe importante tebes, no sira mos reprezenta numeru kiak iha mundu. Sira bele atinji buat barak karik ita hotu susesu halakon kiak, no ita sei lakon buat barak karik ita failha atu halo ida nee. Novidades diak maka juventude sira laos sai hanesan problema nebe ita hotu hanoin, maibe, iha realidade sira sai hanesan solusaun.

Tinan kotuk, Nasoens Unidas adopta Agenda Dezenvolvimentu Sustentavel 2030, nebe presija ita hotu atu halo balansu ba nesesidade ba jerasaun agora no futuru nian, kria kresimentu ekonomia sem destroy rekursus natural no hamenus konsumpsaun no reforsa moris diak no dignidade.

Atu atinji objektivus hirak nee, presiza tebes transformasaun ida nebe boot tebes. Ita tenki halo desizaun kona-ba alokasaun ba rekursus bainhira tau mos atensaun ba interese jerasaun futuru sira nian. Ita tenki halo investimentu iha setor social nebe hadia rezilensia ema idak-idak no komunidade sira. No ita tenki tau direitus humanus iha sentru ba dezenvolvimentu.

Globalmente, populasaun boot juventude reprezenta historia ba oportunidade atu introduz progresu no adopta solusaun sira nebe inovativu atu halo mudansa ida nee. Importante liu maka atinji direitus juventude sira nian atu partisipa iha vida politika, ekonomia no vida sosial husi sira nia komunidade no nasaun sira, no livre mos atu halo dezisaun ba sira nia aan rasik, seksualidade no reproduktiva sem diskriminasaun, violensia ka koersaun.

Atu haforsa juventude sira signifika katak fo ba sira instrumentu sira atu sai ema nebe influensia  liu, produtivu iha sira nia sosiadade rasik. Atu atinji ida nee, nasaun sira presiza atu halakon formas husi diskriminasaun hotu nebe jovem sira hasoru, liu-liu adolesente feto sira, hanesan kaben obrigatoriu no violensia seksual, nebe rezulta ba isin-rua nebe la hakarak, abortus la seguru no infeksaun HIV, no risku ba sira nia moris.

Pontu sentral ba esforsu hirak nee maka tenki promove asesu ba edukasaun, servisu saude, inklui saude seksual no reproduktiva no planeamentu familiar. Intervensaun hirak nee kritiku tebes atu hakotu siklu korenti kiak nian, haforsa rezilensia populasaun ba obstaklsu hotu no habelar oportunidade sira ba ekonomia foun.

Juventude sira sai tiha ona ator ba inovasaun sira iha siensia no teknologia, halo desizaun nebe konsiente nebe influensia makas ba iha formas konsumpsaun no produsaun, no mobilizasaun atu kria kompania, organizasaun no governu sira atu bele responsabilidade liu iha vida socsal no ambiental. Bainhira sira bele hetan informasaun, teknologia, orsamentu, akompanyamentu, no plataforma ba kolaborasaun, jovem inovadores sira bele transforma ideas hirak nee ba solusaun sira.

UNFPA orgulhu tebes atu servisu hamutuk ho juventude sira iha nasaun liu 150 no teritoriu sira iha mundu tomak atu promove sira nia partisipasaun no lideransa, haforsa sira atu responde ba obtaklus sira, kria inovasaun no responde ba sira nia potensialidade ho maximu.

UNFPA bolu atensaun ba governantes sira, parseirus dezenvolvimentu sira no ema hotu nebe iha influensia ba iha politika atu promove dezenvolvimentu juventude no direitus humanus, no sukat progresu bazea ba objektivu dezenvolvimentu sustentavel sira nebe iha ligasaun ho adolesente no juventude. Juventude sira tenki involve hanesan parseirus atu atinji objektivus hirak nee, tamba isra maka jerasaun futuru iha planeta ida nee.

Adolesente feto ida nebe idade tinan 10 agora sei idade 24 iha tinan 2024, tarjetu atu atinji objektivus dezenvolvimentu sustentavel. Ita tenki asegura katak nia dalan ba periodu adolesente no juventude sei lori nia ba futuru ida nebe diak ba nia aan rasik, nia komunidade no mundu-iha nebe iha respeitu ba direitus, realiza oportunidade no atinji buat hirak nee.

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