Continue Demanding Results to Keep 1.5-Degree Goal Alive, Secretary-General Urges Youth Climate Conference, Stressing Boldness, Not Complacency, Drives Change

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres' video message for the twentieth conference of youth on climate change, in Belém, Brazil, today:

You are meeting in the Amazon - a living symbol of nature's beauty and humanity's responsibility. The climate crisis is deepening. Emissions are rising. Inequalities are widening. And promises are being broken.

Science is clear: a temporary overshoot above 1.5 degrees Celsius is now inevitable. I share your dismay - but also your determination to make this overshoot as small and as short as possible by fighting back, by holding leaders to account and by demanding action.

Bringing the world back below 1.5 degrees before the end of the century must start at the Thirtieth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) - with a credible plan to close the ambition and justice gaps. A plan to slash emissions this decade and phase out fossil fuels; to reach global net zero emissions by 2050 and move swiftly onto an irreversible net-negative pathway; to protect people on the frontlines of climate chaos; and to deliver climate finance to the developing countries and communities that need it most.

But none of this is possible without you. For 20 years, young people have been a driving force of the climate process - its conscience and its courage. You've shown that change comes from boldness, not complacency.

So, keep demanding real, lasting results. Make your voices heard - in the streets, in the courts, at the ballot box and at the negotiating table. Don't take "no" for an answer. Because this fight is not only about climate - it is about justice, solidarity and the right to live with dignity on a healthy planet.

Today, more than ever, we need your energy and leadership to keep the 1.5 degrees goal alive - for the world we need and the future you deserve. The United Nations will always stand with you. Thank you - and keep going strong.