Dr. Ashraf Ghani

Speech at the International Youth Day Celebration - Kabul

Keypoints:

Leadership & Responsibility: Youth shape the nation, ending crises and fostering unity.
Courage & Sacrifice: Honoring bravery in security, defense, and public service.
Knowledge, Skills & Prudence: Decisions guided by accurate information, education, and wisdom.
Education & Reform: Learning systems prepare youth for 21st-century challenges and jobs.
Employment & Entrepreneurship: Jobs and business initiatives ensure economic opportunity.
Transparency & Accountability: Government must be open, merit-based, and corruption-free.
National Unity & Cohesion: Youth resist division, promote peace, and build shared identity.
Youth Participation & Representation: Young people actively shape governance and policies.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Welcome! Dear youth, esteemed foreign guests, honorable members of the Cabinet and independent directorates, Mr. Ashkon—first of all, I congratulate all sisters and brothers on International Youth Day. Mubarak mo sha! (May it be blessed for you!)

This day is not just about a single day. It means that you, the youth, must have a fifty-year vision, not a five-day or five-hour vision. You are not willows to be swayed by every wind; you are the future-makers of Afghanistan. History assigns a mission to every generation and places a challenge before it. One does not choose the time they live in; destiny chooses it for them. Your destiny is to end the crises of Afghanistan. Your mission is to end corruption. Your goal is to represent national unity and, from a historical perspective, your opportunity is to become the greatest generation in the contemporary history of Afghanistan.

First, I thank you for participating in the elections. If you had not participated, I would not be your President today. To anyone who tells you that participating in politics has no result: look at them today! Look at yourselves! Look at the world! It is you who have won. Thank you! Second, I thank you for not considering my age, but my youthful thinking. I hope we have reached the conclusion that youthful thought is what matters, not just youthful age. I especially thank the courage of the sisters, specifically Muqadasa Ahmadzai and Tahmina Shuja. Our hope is that millions of Tahminas and Muqadasas are trained so that in the coming years, this hall is fifty-fifty with the presence of girls.

I have six topics.

Honoring the Bravery of Youth in Security Forces

My first point is that I want to express my gratitude to the young generation for their sacrifice, courage, and bravery within the ranks of the security and defense forces of Afghanistan. Today, in every corner of Afghanistan, young Afghans are giving sacrifices to maintain your presence in this hall! Do not forget that they see death in their eyes every day, and most days, death flees from them, not they from death! In this regard, I want to thank our young and strong Minister of Defense. A generational change has occurred in your Ministry of Defense; there will no longer be a conflict of generations, there will be coordination, courage, and heroism here. Just as the Minister represents new knowledge and firmness, the Chief of Staff and our other honorable Generals utilize experience and national knowledge. The combination of both will, God willing, be the cause of your security.

Remember that your generation is the guardian of independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the future welfare of your country. The dreams of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan, our national hero, are being realized. I have a message for the enemies of Afghanistan: This nation is not the nation, and this people is not the people, that drove out Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan. Ashraf Ghani represents your pulse; this is not an individual, this is the President of Afghanistan. The National Unity Government is the representative of the people of Afghanistan and is responsible to the people, and the enemies of Afghanistan must understand this. What message do they have? The message of death, destruction, and attacks on mosques and worshippers. What message do we have? The message of life, hope, and belief. Jowaram de Afghanistana! (I will build you, Afghanistan!) At any cost!

The Contract: Rejuvenating the Administration

The third topic is our contract, and the first installment of your contract is here. Anyone under 40 or 42, please stand up. I told you the administration is getting younger. We did not expect it to become this young. And here, not only a young age matters—I thank Mr. Hotaki for emphasizing this—but young thought and commitment are needed. Therefore, three principles must be considered: information, knowledge, and prudence.

Information: Until now, we were not a society that made decisions based on information. Mr. Rasooli and his colleagues will fundamentally change the Central Statistics Office and provide all information to the nation. Nothing will remain behind the scenes. Access to information is the right of every citizen of Afghanistan.

Knowledge: Information does not yield results for you unless it is turned into knowledge. As Muqadasa said, our greatest knowledge is cultural knowledge. We can confront insecurity, but we must understand our culture and traditions to bring balance between transformation and continuity. This requires knowledge.

Prudence: Above all, this requires prudence. Prudence is tied to judgment. Nothing in Afghanistan is easy. Our enemies understand what we want to do. Should we live only in a one-dimensional crisis and focus only on security, leaving behind life, education, and economy? No! Afghan society thinks multi-dimensionally with full courage. If they think we will not manage our waters, they should think again! If they think we will not legalize our lands and provide every Afghan with the grounds for legal property, they should think again! If they think we are a landlocked country, let them think again; we are the moving heart of Asia.

Accountability of Institutional Leaders

The reason I introduced these leaders to you is so that on the Day of Judgment, your hands might be a bit lower from my collar. Now, each of them will answer to you, as each is the head of an institution. If people do not enter the administration transparently, hold Mr. Naderi firmly. To ensure you can hold them firmly: this week, 800 procurement posts, in two weeks, five thousand civil service posts, and within a month, eight thousand teaching posts will be announced. The same transparent process implemented for the electronic ID (Tazkira) will be implemented in all of these.

If there is theft in transport again, Mr. Tahmasi answers. If Telecommunications charges entrepreneurial youth networks $3,500 a month, Mr. Aryobi answers. I thank Mr. Rahmani, but I have one complaint: ten days ago, I met with representatives of your networks for two hours; if you are still unaware, I hope information exchange between you improves. If you have problems among yourselves, I hope they are addressed; my door is open. We congratulate Mr. Roshan for the technological institution created at the Polytechnic. I have had six meetings with Roshan; you should come too, but I hope you create communication networks among yourselves.

If the Civil Aviation Authority fails or the airport is dirty, ask Mr. Habibi. If something happens with the electronic ID, Mr. Mohtat is accountable. Specifically regarding the Kankor exam, Mr. Roshan is changing it fundamentally; the first step has been taken and it is transparent. Reforms are coming to the youth; because his age is under 35, Mr. Baig falls within the definition of youth, and the entire local administration is in his hands. The entire railway is in the hands of Mr. Shams. And let us not forget the members of the Administrative Reform Commission, Mr. Yorish, and the other sisters.

Meritocracy and Fighting Corruption

Brothers! The point is this: being young was not enough; unfortunately, some appointments I made led to corruption. Because there are judicial processes, I will not name them; but I hope you understand that I have spent most of my political capital on bringing you youth into the administration and rejuvenating it. I have always told you that I am a bridge; the new generation will pass through to leadership and excellence. Now you cannot say people tell you "tomorrow is yours"; today is yours, as these people are at the head. But the point is that you must turn into a "virtuous circle." A sense of accountability must be fundamentally created. To whom are we accountable? The numerical majority of this land is formed by three groups: youth, women, and the impoverished. Until these three groups reach prosperity, stability will not come to Afghanistan; do not deceive yourselves. It is the duty of all of us. "If you said 'it is I' and I said 'it is I,' neither you nor I will remain—if I said 'it is you' and you said 'it is you,' both I and you will remain." The philosophy of Afghanistan's existence is enshrined in the Constitution: the equality of every Afghan with every Afghan. This is the goal of the administration.

Education and Curriculum Reform

My fourth point concerns education. Here I want to first confess, second thank, and third commit. My confession is that unfortunately, due to security and economic problems that required primary attention, we did not pay as much attention to education as I wanted. I was a teacher, and after this post (the Presidency), I will, God willing, be a teacher again. But our educational system needs a fundamental change. In this regard, I want to thank a twelfth-grade student named Faisal from the bottom of my heart. I hadn't seen the institution he created, the First Lady had, but today I read several of his plans: the Peace Echo social affairs strategy, the primary education strategy, and the youth economic strategy. If a twelfth-grade boy in Afghanistan can write papers like this, it is our pride.

The Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs must take these plans seriously. You do not need international consultants for educational reform; you understand your own proposals. The role of the government is to provide for your proposals regarding programs with a clear, transparent budget and accountability. My pledge is that the High Council of Human Resources will be established, we will hear your voice, and we will work together.

A few fundamental points: First, our curriculum is not responsive—from the first grade of school to the end of high school and universities. Positive changes have come, like at the Polytechnic, but we must create work for the 21st century, not the 16th century. Therefore, our curriculum needs a national discourse. Like Faisal, I want you to come with your plans and create a fundamental discourse with Mr. Roshan and the relevant ministries. Education has a direct link with job placement, and the definition of education has changed. It is no longer about memorizing a book; it is about turning information into knowledge and prudence.

Employment, Entrepreneurship, and National Unity

The other section is work. It is clear that "youth" is not limited to educated youth; we must have a clear message for the young farmer, gardener, and the worker standing at the square who may or may not take something home at night. Therefore, in the coming weeks, urgent job placement posts will be announced so people can get to work immediately. It is necessary for people to take bread home.

Regarding the second part—for which I thank our entrepreneurs—it is about creating an environment for entrepreneurship. Current bureaucracy is unfortunately a barrier. A portion of parks will be created specifically for entrepreneurs to make access to licenses easier. Asan Khedmat (Easy Service) will facilitate the work environment. Our fundamental issue is to have a national discourse on growth. We emerged from the bottom of a dark well, and our growth is now predicted at 3.6%. This is significant compared to our neighbor with vast resources. Until you grow the legitimate economy, the job placement problem won't be solved. The government cannot solve the job problem alone; rather, the government's plans solve it. We must join hands.

The sixth topic is a choice before you. Will you be the silent majority or the voice of pride, national unity, and social commitment? Some individuals want to use you as tools and divide you by language, region, and ethnicity. You are Muslims and Afghans; do not give in to any kind of division. Ask those who want to divide you one simple question: What result did you get from division in these forty years?

I represent you with pride. I have had the honor of visiting all 34 provinces repeatedly. There is no point in Afghanistan dearer to me than another. When our youth stand in the trenches, who are those who want to sow division? When we have united, has anyone in history ever stopped this nation? So unite to end these crises! Regarding peace, it is you, the youth, who push the warmongers into isolation and convince them. Use your connections to isolate those who want misery and division so that a national consensus is reached. Whoever stands against the national unity of Afghanistan, Afghans will drive them out of this soil!

Peace has a direct link with the fight against corruption. Does a youth, an old man, an old woman, or a religious scholar sacrifice for a country that is absolutely corrupt? Why do a limited few want to defame a great and proud land? I tell you with courage: Afghans are not corrupt; it is a limited few who want to bring destruction through corruption.

My final word: Mr. Parsa, I thank you and the youth management. Parsa’s fundamental point was that implementation mechanisms must be specified. First, I thank my advisor Sohrab, a very prominent youth. One of his ideas was that every day, a youth from a district of Afghanistan should come and spend from morning to evening with the President to see what we do. Second, I want you youth, through a clear mechanism—whether you call it a Youth Parliament or Youth Union—to appoint representatives every few months to participate in the Cabinet and High Councils. Come to every session and see what we do. I want you to see what we discuss so that governance becomes clear to you, especially in the High Council of Human Resources.

Another point: every ministry and independent directorate present here will hold a specific day for a meeting with you in the coming months to explain the role of their administration in your key issues. Regarding follow-up, my proposal is that every four months, the Cabinet should have a clear session on youth issues and women's participation and provide a report to the nation. The final topic is the preparation of next year's budget, which must clearly include subjects that impact your lives.

In the end, I want to again congratulate you and commemorate the continuous sacrifices of the security and defense forces and our esteemed martyrs. Let us pray for our wounded, who are heroes of this homeland, that they recover soon. I thank every one of you in this hall as a massive collective that is confident in the future and committed. May God keep you successful.