Half of the people on our planet are 30 or younger, and this is expected to reach over 57 by the end of 2030. Today, on International Youth Day, we highlight the absolute need to include young people as equals in development solutions, not afterthoughts. Want to shake the system? Start by handing them the mic. In this story, the mic is with Haruki Ume, who spoke to UN News at the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025, currently being held in the Japanese city of Osaka. Let's hear it from Haruki.
As a 17-year-old, I travelled to the United States on an educational exchange programme and my main motivation was to play baseball and experience American culture.
I met a lot of other people from Africa and Asia as well as Europe and I was taken aback and then impressed by their passion and motivation to support their villages and communities back home.
One boy from Azerbaijan told me he was selected for the exchange from over 100 applicants as the only student from his country. As a result, he said that he had a responsibility not to waste his time and represent all those other applicants and his country to the best of his ability.
That was the moment I knew—I wanted to contribute to society. So I dove into development studies, and spent every vacation exploring places like Cambodia, Egypt, India, Peru, the Philippines, and Uganda.
As a volunteer, I supported education and other initiatives during the field missions and was really driven by helping people who were less fortunate than I.
I learned just as much from the people I met as I hope they did from me—it was truly a two-way exchange of experiences and knowledge that I deeply valued.
I was raised in a small town in rural Japan where there were no foreigners. People grow up, work and die there and many do not ever experience foreign cultures or really understand the outside world.
I remember being nervous about speaking English and eating food that I was not used to. However, I was keen to break through these personal barriers and broaden my world.
Being open to new experiences made it easier to adapt to other cultures and this understanding promotes peace and friendship. And ultimately international cooperation.
I have been working at the UN Pavilion at Expo 2025 to promote the UN and the work of UN Volunteers. Expo 2025 brings the world to Osaka and provides the opportunity for Japanese people to discuss how we can work together more effectively to create a fairer and more peaceful world.
The spirit of building cooperation and creating positive change in the world is something I value contributing to.
As I end my UN Volunteer assignment. I reflect on what being a UN Volunteer means to me: 'Inspiration—what one gets and then gives back.' During my time as a volunteer, I fortunately had time to build mutually inspiring relationships with other highly motivated and talented people of my generation, and I made life-long friends in the process.
