UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier addresses 21st YMCA World Council in Toronto

21st YMCA World Council, Toronto, Canada – Thursday 23 July 2026

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier addressed an Awards ceremony at the 21st YMCA World Council in Toronto today.

‘I want to congratulate you all, not just for what you have achieved, but for the choices you make every day, to serve.’

He spoke about the UN Youth Office – 3 years old, and with the youngest average age – as an experiment for how the UN can look in the future, working with and for young people and willing to share power with the people it serves.

‘Trust has to be earned locally year after year, and this is the way that the YMCA has earned its trust. The work that you in the YMCA lead is a genuine inspiration for what we in the UN are trying to achieve on the global level. We see you as a grassroots organisation which stays close to the communities it serves … and as a partner to co-shape the future.’