I will now…and before opening the floor for a very quick and small questions, I would like to give the floor to a very young Chinese youth delegate that is…that is with us today – a young celebrity in China who championed the Youth Engagement in the SDGs through “Imagine 2030” and…and several campaigns and together with the UN. Wang Yuan, you have the floor.

Wang Yuan’s Speech at the 6th UN Economic and Social Council

(ECOSOC) Youth Forum

Trustee Council Chamber, UN headquarters, New York

January 30, 2017

Ok...

Dear Excellencies, Friends and Colleagues,

First, I would like to thank all speakers and panellists for the enlightening speeches.

My name is Roy Wang, I am a young singer and actor from China – the country that hosts 278 million young people, as the second largest youth population in the world.

Until yesterday, I only saw the UN building on TV, so this is the very first time that I am honored to participate in the Youth Forum to raise my voice. I am grateful for this unique opportunity.

I was fortunate to work with the United Nations China Subgroup on Youth to advocate for the ‘Imagine 2030’ campaign, which aims at encouraging the young generation in China to reflect and think about the world we want to see in 2030 – the year the Sustainable Development Goals are expected to be achieved. This campaign meaningfully engaged a large number of young people, including millions of left-behind children and other marginalized young people, and provided them with an opportunity to express their views and share their imagination to inspire our world.

I submitted a cartoon drawing project. My passion for 2030 is that every young person can access good quality education, girls have the same potential to achieve amazing things as boys.

With the support from many young people across the country, the campaign, which has been running for a few months since October 2016, recorded over 500 million views online. Inspired by the campaign, understanding SDGs has become a fashion among the young people.

Dear Excellencies, Friends and Colleagues,

Taking this opportunity, both as a leader and a young person myself, I want to reassure you of Chinese young people’s motivation to advance and realize (the) SDGs, wherever you are.

I truly believe that our youth power can influence the world we live in, and hope that our determination can make a difference.

Thank you very much.