Photo taken from the New York Times, January 21, 2009.

Tuesday marked a momentous occasion for America as the first black president took the oath of office. The world watched as power switched hands with the hope that change can finally become a reality.

Obama's appointment of Susan Rice to foreign policy advisor will most certainly mean an increased role for the United States in contributing to the United Nations. An excerpt from a January 15, New York Times article reads "In her opening statement, Ms. Rice, who was the senior foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign, said she would work on four main issues with the overall goal of reinvigorating American leadership at the United Nations. They are improving the capacity of the United Nations to undertake peacekeeping operations; providing leadership in addressing climate change; preventing both the spread and the use of nuclear weapons; and working to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest."

Perhaps the world will see the United States, under the Obama administration, lend a greater hand to acheiving the Millenium Development Goals. In a November 2008 Agence-France Presse article campaign manager Salil Shetty said ""During the election campaign, Obama said the 'Millennium Development Goals are our goals'. If he keeps to that promise it will be amazing."

Respond to this post with what you think about President Obama's plans to change the United States' role on the world stage.

Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the U.N. Millenium Project, wrote in a 2005 letter to the New York Times that "The Millennium Development Goals remain by far the world's best hope to mobilize real action, not only for improved measurement but also for the bottom-line results that could save millions of lives each year and help hundreds of millions of impoverished people escape from poverty."

This is the message that we hope you, the ambassadors to the Youth Assembly, understand. The world needs their youth to see and act, and come together to challenge the international community to raise the bar.

You can find the full letter on the New York Times website.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E2DC1131F937A2575AC0A9639C8B63&scp=8&sq=milleniumdevelopmentgoals2009&st=cse

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If you have an account, search Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations and join.

Here, you can get to know other YA participants before the Assembly begins. Respond to discussion topics, post on the wall and share your project ideas.

The Youth Assembly at the United Nations is a gathering of hundreds of young people from around the world (18-26 years old) who seek future involvement with the United Nations, civil society and ways to contribute to the successful implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The conference will take place this year at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on August 5-7, 2009.
Delegates are encouraged to take part in the Leadership Seminar that precedes the assembly from July 30- August 3, 2009. Throughout the four-day retreat, participants create an action plan for meeting an existing challenge in their home communities.
So, to all the Assembly participants: please share your project ideas here. This way, we can get to know each other before August. Or, write about something of particular interest to you that you think applies to the Millennium Development Goals, etc. Check back often for new posts about current issues of international interest. We will always post news here about the Youth Assembly as well. We look forward to seeing you soon!