I woke up with the thought of a truly dynamic and memorable day ahead! It started with the EU coordination meeting, which now, after the initial overexcitement had dissipated, I could observe from the viewpoint of an objective spectator! I noticed tiny details in the diplomats’ behavior that gave me insight into their position on the issues discussed: the UK representative smirked, the French spoke in French, incorporating English words when they were indispensable, while the chair responded to the French remarks in flawless English! Quite chaotic, but it amazed me how everyone was on the same page, the discussion flowed and the resolution was almost ready!

Then there was the big wait for Mr. Secretary General and our formal, though brief, meeting with him! As we were all aligned for the famous picture with him, I had the opportunity to meet the few youth delegates I didn’t know yet, and somewhere in between an intriguing discussion of how Botswana has been affected by the world economic crisis with its youth delegate and a profound analysis of how exhausting wearing high heels was with the girl from Mexico, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon honored us with his arrival!

The room was overflowing with euphoria as we all took our individual pictures with him and officially introduced ourselves. His address was inspirational in the amount of trust he placed on us as the generation primarily responsible for stimulating action and combating global challenges, the most prominent of which is global warming! We might not have an authoritative voice today, he said, but we must try our utmost to talk to these that do have an impact on the decision-making process at both local and national level!

Diplomats start off their day early and get straight down to business! – that’s what I learnt this morning as we headed to the EU coordination meeting two blocks from the UN Headquarters shortly before 9 am.

As a student in European Studies, the experience of taking notes diligently behind the discussion table, around which all 27 Member States were seated, could be likened to witnessing history in the making and participating in events that hitherto I had only read about in books. Then following an invigorating sprint back to our beloved UN Plaza, we commenced our work with a plenary session of the Third Committee and the truly motivational speeches by the youth delegates to this forum! It amazed, stunned and inspired me how passionate, heartfelt and goal-oriented the statements by my colleagues were only to reaffirm the belief that all of us are personally attached to the issues of youth and determined to kindle the power-having decision-makers into action! Soon it was my turn!

It is hard to imagine the stimulating feeling of anticipation that overwhelmed me before I switched on the microphone and explain the sense of inner satisfaction and accomplishment once I reached to switch it off! The duration was merely 6 minutes and yet so much efforts, thought and commitment were encapsulated in it!

No amount of advance reading about the organization of the UN’s work can sufficiently prepare you for what you experience as a youth delegate in the Mecca of diplomatic exchange and political negotiations at the UN headquarters in New York! I arrived in the ”land of milk and honey” as Bulgaria’s youth delegate to the UN for 2009, fuelled by relentless enthusiasm and unflagging motivation to work towards the advancement of youth’s welfare only to realize I was joining a community of inspiring and motivated young people from all over the world, who were fighting the same cause! Seeing the sparkle of vision and ambition in the eyes of my colleagues from as far as the Domican Republic, Rwanda, Australia and Peru to my European counterparts from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Russia (among others) convinced me I was in the right place and made me feel hopeful about what we could achieve in concerted efforts! … and that was just the beginning!

Sitting behind the placard “Bulgaria” in the awe-inspiring conference room # 1, listening to national statements at the first plenary session of the Third Committee of the General Assembly and expecting the informal discussions on the youth resolution in the afternoon, I frequently caught myself thinking “Is this really happening to me?” The best part was that the answer was in the positive!

In the coming weeks Margaret Mead’s quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” will guide us in our work! Though we, the youth delegates, do not aim at changing the world, we will try out utmost to shape an environment concerned with addressing the challenges young people face and open to their contributions as catalysts of social and economic progress!

Kristina Popova

Bulgarian Youth Delegate to the United Nations for 2009

Тъй като ние, българските младежки делегати в ООН, представляваме именно вас- българските млади хора, този блог е предназначен предимно за комуникация с всички вас. Английският е за пред спосори, чужденци и т.н., които са на заден план в сравнение с ВАС, хората които са ни избрали! По този повод се чувствайте окуражени да пишете на нашия си, роден език:

БЪЛГАРСКИЯТ ЕЗИК

Език свещен на моите деди
език на мъки, стонове вековни,
език на тая, дето ни роди
за радост не – за ядове отровни.

Език прекрасен, кой те не руга
и кой те пощади от хули гадки?
Вслушал ли се е някой досега
в мелодьята на твойте звуци сладки?

Разбра ли някой колко хубост, мощ
се крий в речта ти гъвкава, звънлива -
от руйни тонове какъв разкош,
какъв размах и изразитост жива?

Не, ти падна под общия позор,
охулен, опетнен със думи кални:
и чуждите, и нашите, във хор,
отрекоха те, о, език страдални!

Не си можал да въплътиш във теб
създаньята на творческата мисъл!
И не за песен геният ти слеп -
за груб брътвеж те само бил орисал!

Тъй слушам сè, откак съм на света!
Сè туй ругателство ужасно, модно,
сè тоя отзив, низка клевета,
що слетя всичко мило нам и родно.

Ох, аз ще взема черния ти срам
и той ще стане мойто вдъхновенье,
и в светли звукове ще те предам
на бъдещото бодро поколенье;

ох, аз ще те обриша от калта
и в твоя чистий бляск ще те покажа,
и с удара на твойта красота
аз хулниците твои ще накажа.

Иван Вазов ,Пловдив, 1883

Атанас Михнев

Our message is a bit different: “Do not ask what the UN can do for you, ask what you can do for the UN”. As youth delegates we all are and we all represent active young people from our countries. Thus, we are all aware of how crucial youth participation and youth activities are. In fact, as defined by the World Program of Action for Youth, youth participation is the only “interactive” priority area where actions can be undertaken not only on part of the UN but also on part of youth, to whom the WPAY is dedicated.

As representatives of an active society with more than 30 large active NGOs with more than 10000 active members under the age of 30 we believe it is time to make all areas interactive. It is time to foster youth activities on the global scale. It is time to introduce the United Nations as a key factor in youth policies all around the globe, the way that it already is a key factor in eliminating poverty and fostering development. It is time to help young people regardless of sex, color and ethnical background realize that they are in charge of their own destiny.

The Bulgarian delegation has its humble proposals as to how we can achieve this end. Most certainly, so do other delegations. As people with experience in the NGO sector, as people who know the specific dynamics of youth organizations, and as people who represent a whole new generation- a determined and motivated layer of society it is our duty to discuss how we can increase youth participation and how we can improve the connection between the UN and young people.

Cooperativeness and desire to tackle the issue of youth participation is all it takes to achieve significant advancement in all priority areas of the WPAY. Moreover, it is the only way to turn our whole new generation into the United Nations generation.

Atanas Mihnev,

Bulgarian Youth Delegate to the United Nations for 2009