Ambassador of Colombia to China: Young Leaders Are the Present, not the Future
August 12 , 2022
“COVID-19 is more than a health crisis and is restructuring our knowledge and understanding of everything. It is actually changing the world economic and social order in an unprecedented way, creating new challenges for humanity. How the world faces this crisis and how young people view, think and respond to global issues and challenges will determine the face of the future of the world.”
——H.E. Mr. Luis Diego Monsalve, Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to the People’s Republic of China
Young leaders are not the future anymore. Each day they embody the present and, accordingly, their voices need to be heard. They have been demonstrating their leadership capacity worldwide where you can find nowadays many of the most influential leaders to be under 45. For instance, the President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez, who is 44, is one of those young leaders who is transforming the realities of our people and has been overcoming challenging and turbulent moments. Since his inauguration, his government has been devoted to young people and the transformation of our society. For example, the average of more than 30 deputy ministers is 37 years old and of these ministers, the youngest is around 33 years old. Colombia is a young society in which 73% of people are under 45. Most of them are committed to entrepreneur- ship, creativity and innovation, and are tech-oriented and looking for development and progress. In this framework, one of the flagship programs of President Duke is the “orange economy”, which represents 3.4% of the total GDP. The principles of his government are legality, entrepreneurship and equity, over a solid base of sustain- ability and innovation. He has embraced this new concept in which young people are at the core. His ambitious plan is that the success of our economy consists of investing in the talent of our citizens and taking advantage of the entrepreneurial potential of the country’s youth in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, this is not unique to Colombia. Instead, it is a trend in which the world is embracing new ideas and realities that will define the future.
2020 is the proof and breaking point of what we are discussing today. Nature and our planet shook up our system and showed us of the need of change. Nowadays we are all wondering what the world will be like in the post-pandemic era. COVID-19 is more than a health crisis and is restructuring our knowledge and understanding of everything. It is actually changing the world economic and social order in an unprecedented way, creating new challenges for humanity. How the world faces this crisis and how young people view, think and respond to global issues and challenges will determine the face of the future of the world.
In this context please let me talk to the young leaders and to the world about my views on how we need to work jointly on this matter, and I hope of course this will be useful for the Global Young Leaders Dialogue. First, government advisors, academics, companies and international organizations should be conscious of the need of empowering young people. This means allowing them to use their talent to be agents of change and letting them be part of the discussions of the major worldwide challenges in decision making positions including the formulation and implementation of public policies. Second, to identify together with young people the major issues we need to face as humankind. For example, climate change inequality, sustainable development, universal access to education, among others, in order to define common strategies, because they need to begin exercising their leadership in the present to do it in the future. Finally, last but not least, there is no one more capable than young leaders, who were born and raised in this era, to understand the technological revolution. They should be at the core of entrepreneurship and innovation programs to generate new solutions to the upcoming challenges. As I mentioned, young leaders are the present too and we should rise to the occasion. It is in our hands as leaders to be up to the task and to meet the difficult challenge to ensuring a smooth transition for them.
Adapted from the transcript of a speech presented at the Global Young Leaders Dialogue Program Launch (December 2020).
Perspectives from Ambassadors to China
Editors: Huiyao Wang, Lu MiaoPublished in March, 2022
Download Book at Springer
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-8086-1
CCG’s new book China and the World in a Changing Context: Perspectives from Ambassadors to China has been released online. This open access book presents China and a changing globalized world from the perspective of 23 ambassadors to China, covers key development topics including economic growth, foreign policy, and SDG-related themes.
Series Editors: Huiyao Wang Lu Miao
Publisher: Springer Nature Publishing Group
