Madame President,

Thank you for giving me the floor to share our views on Youth and Disarmament and on International Youth Day. The Indian delegation expresses its best wishes on this important occasion to all the youth. We also thank the Canadian Presidency for convening this Plenary and giving us this important opportunity to share our views.

We are honored to hear inspiring remarks from Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs outlining UN initiatives, and Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and also the thought-provoking words we have heard from the UN Youth Disarmament Champions and Youth Representatives today.

India attachesgreat importance to engaging and working with the youth of today, to raise awareness of and to find innovative solutions to issues of disarmament, arms control, and to make lasting contribution to international peace and security.

India would like to place on record its sincere appreciation for the initiative by the Republic of Korea in the form of its UNGAResolution A/Res/74/64 titled Youth, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, whichIndia had the privilege to co-sponsor.  The resolution as also explained by the distinguished Ambassador of Republic of Korea today, recognized that young people are key agents for social change, economic development and technological innovation, and also called upon Member States to consider and develop policies and programmes for young people to facilitate their constructive participation in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation.

Madame President,

India accords high priority to promoting arms control, disarmament and international security education. In this regard, India’s Annual Disarmament and International Security Affairs Fellowship launched in 2019 has been well received by various member states, particularly the younger generation of diplomats.

Building upon this initiative and to further expand education and outreach, India has launched a new initiative in the framework of 'Disarmament for Youth'. This global initiative aimed at bringing disarmament and international security issues closer to the younger generation, is not limited to just diplomats but involves and engages the wider community of youth interested in such issues. Such an initiative will help the youth become better informed and enable them to relate to the current developments in disarmament and international security. The initiative has been proposed in the form of an ongoing series of seminars on various contemporary issues on the global disarmament and international security affairs agenda, e.g.BWC and Bio-security, Chemical Disarmament, Nuclear Disarmament, Space Security, Conventional Weapons etc.  These events are proposed to be organised at the global level, with the participation of youth across the globe.

Madame President,   

India looks forward to continuing its constructive engagement with the younger generation on these important issues of global importance, that would act as a catalyst in promoting peace and security.

Thank you, Madame President.