Young people must be listened to, Harry says on New York trip

The Duke of Sussex has warned the next generation’s future is in danger of being stolen if their advice is not listened to as he joined a summit in New York to discuss the global mental health crisis facing young people.

Harry called on governments to bring young people into decision-making policy to avert problems as he kicked off a run of high-profile appearances in the Big Apple.

The duke is championing causes close to his heart and those associated with his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales on the solo east coast trip with two days of events during UN General Assembly High-Level Week and Climate Week.

He took to the stage with the Diana Award on Monday, joining the charity’s chief executive Tessy Ojo and two winners of the Diana Legacy Award, Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, 18, from Indonesia, and Christina Williams, 27, from Jamaica.

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Harry told the winners his mother would have been “incredibly proud” of them.

Asked by Dr Ojo what he was hopeful for, Harry laughed and quipped: “Can I go last?” before letting the Legacy award winners speak first.

“The reason why I wanted to go last is because these guys are the ones that give me hope,” Harry said, addressing Chiara and Christina.

He added it was unacceptable that their futures should be put at risk if their advice and vision was not heeded.

“The courage that you have gives me hope because every single one of us need courage in order to really move the dial and create positive change in today’s world, probably more so now than ever,” the duke said.

“So thank you to you guys for giving me, and probably a lot of other people, in this room, hope, and now we need to listen, constantly listen, and then act on the advice and the vision that you have, because otherwise it’s your future that’s being stolen from you and that is unacceptable.”

In the 30-minute question and answer session where Harry asked the winners questions on mental health, he called on governments to involve young people in decision-making to prevent problems before they take hold.

Harry said: “Surely one of the solutions here is for governments to implement, or at least find people young people like yourselves, and bring them into decision making, policy-making situations before the problems exist.”

He added: “That is where the difference is going to be made. And why is that not happening? Some places it is. Why is it not happening?”

Harry, who was wearing a gold, square Diana Award badge on the lapel of his dark suit, adjusted his suit and tie and fidgeted in his chair as he sat on the stage.

The King’s youngest son described mental health as “a very, very important subject that affects every single one of us”.

He quizzed Christina and Chiara on how poor mental health had impacted them and their peers.

Christina told him: “Scared children cannot dream, Prince Harry.”

The duke described how mental health “affects every single one of us, from the top to bottom, from the youngest to the oldest” and said the Diana Award winners were “leading the charge” in breaking down stigma.

The duke told how Diana would have been proud of the winners and the work of the charity set up in her memory, which this year marks its 25th anniversary.

“I know that my mum would be incredibly proud of you guys, not just you, but all of the winners, and, Tessy – you’ve been in this for a very long time so thank you for that as well,” he said.

“But the way that you do it, your activism, your compassion, those two things are so true to how my mom led her life and what she believed in. And the way that you do it is incredible. So thank you.”

Chiara founded Cases 4 Care Indonesia when she was 11 to help children who scavenge for rubbish in landfills in Southeast Asia gain access to informal education.

Christina is an advocate who lobbied for student access to health insurance in Jamaica and an emergency fund to support the disadvantaged pupils.

Harry is appearing later on Monday with the Halo Trust, the landmine clearance charity supported by Diana, and also at a private engagement with conservation group African Parks.

The duke, who celebrated his milestone 40th birthday a week ago, is forging ahead with his charity work after describing how fatherhood has given him a renewed sense of purpose to make “this world a better place”.

He will be one of the star guests with former US president Bill Clinton on Tuesday morning where he will discuss finding solutions to global challenges.

Harry will join Mr Clinton, the former president’s daughter Chelsea Clinton, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, US broadcaster Katie Couric and primatologist Jane Goodall at a session called Everything Everywhere All At Once at the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting.

Other events on Tuesday see the duke focus on Lesotho, the impoverished southern African country where he set up his Sentebale charity to support Aids orphans, and the Travalyst organisation, which aims to encourage the tourism sector to become more sustainable.

A trip to the UK also beckons, with Harry attending the WellChild annual awards next Monday.

The duke, who now lives in California with the Duchess of Sussex and their children, remains estranged from his brother the Prince of Wales and has a strained relationship with his father the King.

The Diana Award event was part of the Concordia Summit, the largest nonpartisan forum alongside the UN General Assembly.