Emine Erdoğan, first lady of Türkiye, delivered a video message to the 6th High-Level Forum of Women Leaders in Burundi, calling for inclusive and multifaceted strategies to address the growing and complex challenges faced by the world’s youth.
The forum, hosted by Angeline Ndayishimiye, wife of Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, convened in Bujumbura to focus on women’s leadership and youth development amid global inequalities and emerging social risks. Erdoğan’s remarks emphasized that solving today’s pressing issues requires collaboration across sectors and a holistic approach beyond traditional solutions.
Highlighting demographic realities, Erdoğan noted that nearly 2 billion children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 represent the largest generation of young people in history. She underscored the profound responsibility this places on societies worldwide to ensure that these youths have access to educational opportunities and safe living conditions that will shape not only their individual futures but also global progress.
“Providing children with the right to education is no longer about constructing schools alone,” Erdoğan said. “To fully realize this right, it is imperative to simultaneously address environmental degradation, ongoing conflicts and widening economic inequalities.”
Erdoğan painted a stark picture of global disparities that have intensified over recent years. She pointed to an alarming digital divide, with more than 1 billion school-age children lacking internet access necessary for modern education, while others suffer from excessive screen time, up to seven hours daily, resulting in social media and video game addictions that negatively affect their development.
Nutritional challenges also remain starkly polarized. In some regions, childhood obesity is driven by diets high in processed and fast foods, while in others, 181 million children experience severe food insecurity and hunger. Erdoğan further highlighted that the family environment, recognized as the ideal setting for child development, is not a reality for more than 140 million orphans worldwide.
The forum also addressed evolving mental health concerns among adolescents. Erdoğan observed that traditional issues like peer bullying and domestic violence now coexist with new challenges tied to climate change, such as increased natural disasters, forced migration and environmental destruction. These factors contribute to what researchers have termed “climate anxiety,” adding a new dimension to the psychological well-being of young people.
She further cautioned against the risks associated with the rapid expansion of the digital landscape. Online exploitation and cyberbullying represent significant, boundaryless threats that require urgent attention from policymakers, educators and families.
Emphasizing the ethical dimension, Erdoğan stressed that despite rapid technological advancements, core human values such as compassion in health care, idealism in teaching and human-centered engineering are increasingly marginalized within educational systems. This erosion threatens to undermine the very foundation needed to nurture responsible, empathetic future generations.
“The complexity and interrelated nature of today’s challenges demand comprehensive and inclusive responses,” Erdoğan said. “Ensuring children’s education, promoting healthy nutrition and supporting sustainable agricultural practices require coordinated efforts among families, schools and society at large.”
Expressing her strong belief in the forum’s potential impact, Erdoğan praised Angeline Ndayishimiye for her leadership, dedication and genuine commitment to improving the lives of children.
Angeline Ndayishimiye, in turn, expressed her gratitude to Erdoğan for participating via video message and acknowledged the importance of international cooperation in tackling these pressing issues.
In a social media statement, Emine Erdoğan reiterated the critical importance of establishing strong partnerships among families, schools and communities to foster healthy and resilient future generations. She concluded by wishing the forum success in opening new horizons for humanity through shared responsibility and visionary leadership.
