WAR IN UKRAINE: THE YOUTH PERSPECTIVE

On the 5th of March, we hosted a discussion about the ongoing war in Ukraine and had a chance to hear the youth perspective, especially from the former and current Ukrainian Youth Delegates to the United Nations.
As you know, our network has issued an official statement on Ukraine, signed by over 40 former and current UN Youth Delegates to the United Nations.
We feel that this is not enough and we as youth should be proactive in hosting such discussions and act upon them.
#WeStandTogether

🎯In September 2021 we hosted the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN as a part of our Youth in Diplomacy Talks. He spoke, among other things, about the Russian expansion rhetoric and attempts. For some of us, it sounded a bit strange that a UN ambassador focused so much on the bilateral relations with another country, rather than on broader, global, issues.
We could not imagine back then, that the aggressive rhetoric of a country can turn into full-scale war and a global disaster. However today that is exactly the reality. On February 24th, 2022 the Russian Federation launched a full-scale offensive against Ukraine. Ever since it continues targeting civilian infrastructure and population. Russia has also launched an unprecedented disinformation campaign. The UN Secretary-General has condemned the aggression. He stressed that the principles of the UN Charter are being violated; That Russia shall respect the right of each country to choose its allies freely; That achieving any goals via violent means is unacceptable. He is concerned over the erosion of such concepts as "peace-keepers".
Our network has issued an official statement, signed by over 40 former and current UN Youth Delegates. However, we feel this is not enough.
👉This is why we hosted a discussion with former and current UN youth delegates of Ukraine. We want to hear the youth perspective on this war and on the role of the UN it can play.