One of the most dangerous ironies of our age is the transformation of the newly formed United Nations which expressly recognized the family as “the natural and fundamental group unit of society and… entitled to protection by society and the State” (UDHR, article 16), to an institution that within decades, as noted by Gabriele Kuby, would “replace universal moral values with relativistic postmodern ‘values’” and “fight for dissolution of men’s and women’s sexual identity [and] elimination of marriage and family.” Not content with seeking to force its radical social agenda on sovereign nations, the UN in recent years has employed an additional tactic with increasing effectiveness: waging a campaign to recruit the world’s youth, as seen in the UN’s International Youth Day (IYD) on August 12 with its ambitious theme of “Youth Engagement for Global Action.”
“Youth” is defined by the UN as persons between the ages of 15 to 24 years, a group totaling over 1.2 billion people. It is about 15% of the world population, although that number belies the outsize influence of these individuals who want to make their mark on the world now and who will soon be the leaders and influencers of tomorrow. At this pivotal stage of life as they get their bearings on the world and make life-changing decisions, they are particularly impressionable—a condition the UN seeks to exploit. Take a look, for example, at the carefully crafted rhetoric on the IYD website with its emphasis on “youth social entrepreneurship.” The term is defined in the UN’s accompanying World Youth Report 2020: “Social entrepreneurship marries a sustainable economic logic to social imperatives.”
No one, of course, could be against “sustainable economic logic,” one of several legitimate goals addressed in the UN’s appeal to youth. The phrase “social imperatives” seems equally impressive, but what is it? Only when you dig deeper do you discover that behind the sophisticated façade is the stark reality that such “social imperatives” include UN policies promoting abortion and “sexual rights,” policies that undermine family, faith, and life. You can see this in sources such as the “Adolescent sexual and reproductive health” webpage of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), or the UN’s “Comprehensive Sexuality Education” webpage, or the scandalous publication of IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation, an NGO wielding extensive power in the UN) entitled “Healthy, Happy and Hot.” In short, the UN’s joining of “sustainable economic logic” with “social imperatives” is a cunning effort to cloak those “imperatives” with legitimacy and rally idealistic and impressionable youth to become activists for the UN’s radical social agenda. For years at various UN events we have seen youth the UN has trained and brought in as advocates, who are often more likely to be listened to because of their youth.
If the UN succeeds in brainwashing the world’s youth, the battle to protect family, faith, and life will soon be lost. As Thomas Paine wrote about the American Revolution, “these are times that try men’s souls,” causing summer soldiers and sunshine patriots to withdraw. We must speak the truth in boldness and use every available means—beginning with home and family instruction and including educational venues and social media—to teach and empower our youth. We renew our plea issued at a recent World Congress of Families: “We call for a culture that honors and enables faithful, fulfilling, and resilient marriages; that recognizes and protects the uniquely valuable contributions of both mothers and fathers to the lives of their children; and that encourages the values and vision necessary for young people to look forward to and prepare for successful marriage and parenting.” We cannot afford to lose the battle for the hearts and minds of our youth.