My Belated Entry

Dear readers, I apologize for the very belated entry. I have been swamped by the overwhelming stimuli and the subsequent desire to stay alive within the moment here at CSD-14, and I have left very little room to reflect on what have brought me here and what I have done and observed so far. Said that, it's a daunting task to eloquently describe the long road that led me here, so I am just going to leave you with one short story. I do promise write more in depth later on, but please be advised that I may bore you as I have already started to ramble on.

In my profession working as an international climate change policy researcher, I am very lucky to meet and work with high-level climate policy negotiators from around the world. Just within the past 4 days, I have run into delegates from Sweden, UK, Japan, Indonesia, Spain, and my own country, Rep. of Korea. Business aside, many of them have told me how great it is to see youth delegates enthusiastically delivering insightful statements, working with country delegations and other major groups to provide youth perspectives on various issues, and simply occupying all corners of the UN headquarters with confidence, organization, and energy.

Hearing about 'the impressive youth presence' repeatedly from so many high-level policymakers only confirmed my belief that we, young people of the world, possess the power to shape the world we live in. These policymakers do see of our work admirably and want to hear many more success stories of the Napalese youth implementing a small-scale hydropower project and the US youth building clean and energy-efficient campuses.

I have recently turned 26, and with that I have technically graduated from the 'youth' group according to the UN definition. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that my heart, not my age, is what defines me as a youthful person. Empowered and empowering youth is a new and refreshing concept shared among the policymakers, and I hope that my fellow youth and I, the youthful, can carry on our commitment and responsibility to be the 'agents of change' for the troubled world.

By the way, I think I look pretty youthful in the picture with Martha Stewart... don't you think?