Greetings to you all. I am pleased to have the chance to speak to this inspirational group of young people gathered online from all over the world, and to share with you in celebrating 100 years of the Kandersteg International Scout Centre.
Human rights are integral to the spirit of the Scout movement. Scouting is grounded on the ideals of equality and dignity for all human beings, without distinction.
Human rights belong to us all, they serve to unite our world, and to remind us of our shared responsibility to care for each other.
I know and have heard from young people around the world how much human rights are a priority for you.
And through your Scouting activities, you are learning the importance of human rights values in practice.
You are learning the true meaning of equality, how to respect the world’s diversity, the importance of non-discrimination, and solidarity with our fellow human beings.
You develop critical thinking and leadership skills, essential to advance the human rights cause in your communities.
You are applying everything you learn through your service to your communities, impacting positively everywhere around you: your families, your societies, your countries.
I’d like to encourage all young people, from every continent, to work together with the United Nations around its main objective of achieving human rights, peace, and sustainable development.
Each of you has a unique opportunity to be a force for change, leading action towards a better, more equal and more just world for us all – a more sustainable planet where the human rights of everyone, everywhere are valued and respected.
And if I have one request to all of you, please take a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and read it, and be aware that these are your rights, and that we all need to fight for them.
Thank you for the work you do.
