Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus speaking at the High-Level Meeting on the 30th Anniversary of World Program of Action for Youth at the UN headquarters in New York, photo: BSS

NEW YORK, Sept 25, 2025 (BSS) - Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said the young people are recognised as agents of change around the world, suggesting creating employment opportunities for them.

"Around the world, young people are recognised as agents of change. Yet they are also the first to suffer from persisting inequalities, conflicts, climate change, protectionism, and the digital divide," he said.

The Chief Adviser made the remarks while addressing the High-Level Meeting on the 30th Anniversary of World Program of Action for Youth at the UN headquarters here on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly.

Above all, he said, unemployment remains the gravest challenge, while youth unemployment is up to four times higher than adult unemployment, particularly in low-income countries.

"But, lasting global progress cannot be achieved without youth inclusion," he added.

Technology offers enormous promise for inclusion through innovation, Prof Yunus said, but its benefits must not be placed behind walls of greed.

"That is why in Bangladesh we have launched a National Youth Entrepreneur Policy to provide finance, skills, and market access, enabling young people to be job creators rather than job seekers,” he said. 

The Chief Adviser added: “We have also ensured youth participation in our independent reform commissions and introduced a National Policy Competition, to embed the voices of youth into our democratic renewal.” 

Prof Yunus said globally, Bangladesh firmly supports the World Programme of Action for Youth, Pact for the Future, UN Youth Strategy 2030, and the Youth, Peace and Security agenda. "But no nation can ensure youth empowerment alone," he added.

Without global cooperation to dismantle barriers, ensure equity, and foster intergenerational leadership, frustration may erupt into unrest that spreads quickly across the interconnected world, as glimpses of such events have already begun to appear, the Chief Adviser said. 

He said, “The bottom line is simple. We do not need to carry the future alone. We only need to give young people their rightful stake, safe space, and role in decision-making. I am confident they will choose wisely—for themselves, for the planet, and for our future.”

At eighty-five, Prof Yunus said, he feels the depth of today’s theme- “Accelerating global progress through intergenerational collaboration.”

Last year, he said, Bangladesh witnessed the extraordinary power of youth.

The Chief Adviser said the youth rose with courage to end years of autocracy, reset the nation’s course, and entrusted him with the responsibility of steering reforms and democratic transition.