Ban Ki-Moon and Guy Ryder

Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon,
Mrs Ban,
Members of your delegation,

This morning the ILO is proud and honoured to receive the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr Ban Ki-moon.

Mr Ban we welcome you most warmly to the home of the ILO family.

Thank you for finding this time in your punishing schedule to be here with us.

And thank you above all, for your leadership in these turbulent times. The UN is called upon to confront many global challenges: multiplying conflicts; the fight against climate change; and offering the chance of a decent future to the coming generations.

Mr Secretary-General I am sure you will be pleased to know that in our audience today are young women and men of the International School of Geneva who will soon be facing the transition from education to work.

We also have members of the Geneva UN intern network – already taking their first steps in that world of work.

Their presence reminds us of the many individual lives that we must touch through our work and of the future that we must open up for the children and the youth of today.

Foremost are the nearly 75 million unemployed young women and men in the world – and, in fact, we know that the problem is even greater with so many young people trapped in underemployment and in the informal economy.

Mr Secretary-General,

Your presence with us today is a demonstration of our collective determination to make a difference – to make a difference in the lives of these young women and men who otherwise face a bleak future.

You have been an outspoken leader in promoting decent work for young people. You bring real conviction that together – and by listening to and by working with young people – the future can be made brighter.

Your voice amplifies our own ILO call to action on youth unemployment and we appreciate this immensely.

The reality is that certain issues lend themselves more easily to global mobilization than others. And I believe that youth employment is one such.
And, Secretary-General, you are doing everything to ensure that the UN System seizes that opportunity with both hands.

I think that is all the more important as the UN reaches a crucial stage in the preparation of the post-2015 development agenda.

So, for all these reasons, we are anxious to listen to your message.

To finalize Mr Secretary-General – I understand that last week you celebrated a landmark birthday. For that we wish you many happy returns, and we have no doubt that you will remain forever young, forever young at heart and at the service of young people around the world.

Thank you for being with us and we look forward to hearing from you.