New York, 25 September 2025 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova addressed Thursday a plenary session on 30 Years of the World Programme of Action for Youth, held under the theme "Accelerating Global Progress Through Intergenerational Collaboration", MIA reports from New York.

President Siljanovska Davkova said that no country or region can make progress if it neglects young people, and that is why the UN adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth.

"Today, as we mark this anniversary, we recognize its successes and shortcomings. A lot has been done but much remains to be done," said Siljanovska Davkova.

Addressing the youth, the President said Pink Floyd's song "Another Brick in the Wall" had a big impact on her back when she was young and when she became a university professor.

"Today, I am not here to lecture you but to be inspired by you. Throughout history, your peers were not afraid to speak up and challenge authorities, reject dogmas and fight for ideals, sometimes at the cost of their own lives," said Siljanovska Davkova.

She referred to the 1968 student protests in Paris, the Prague Spring, the anti-Vietnam rallies, Tiananmen Square, fall of the Berlin Wall.

"Young people are now protesting against the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, but also against ecocides and femicides, climate change and social injustice," said Siljanovska Davkova.

According to her, young people have always been the heralds of change.

"I come from a small, landlocked European country. We have been waiting to join the European Union for two decades now. Many of your Macedonian peers are tired of waiting for the European future and are leaving the country. This applies to most of the countries in the Western Balkans. For small countries like ours, statistics are not abstractions," said Siljanovska Davkova.

In order to change things, the President added, youth engagement should not only be symbolic but substantial in the decision-making processes.

"This is why the United Nations Youth Strategy, Youth2030, is so vital. It ensures that across all pillars of our work - peace and security, human rights and sustainable development - young people are not bystanders, but partners," noted Siljanovska Davkova.

She said this implied three things. First, young people must be part of UN reform at every level. This means securing permanent seats in national delegations, creating formal advisory bodies, and giving them decision-making roles in key areas such as Security Council reform, peace building architecture and digital governance. Second, to be an ethical compass. Youth engagement must not be symbolic. It must bring accountability, ensuring that both empty promises and cynical inaction are avoided. Third, intergenerational partnership. Reform must bring generations together. Older leaders bring experience, while younger ones bring vision. Together, they can steer multilateralism from paralysis to action.

"You have the privilege, but also the responsibility, to be the bridge between the present and the future. Without your favorite word, 'why?' there is no progress. Without your doubt in authority, there is no truth. As you move societies, you can move the world, because you are adorned with intellectual curiosity and passion, without which there can be no reform," said Siljanovska Davkova.

MIA file photo