foreign I would like to introduce Alina Das professor of clinical law and James Weldon Johnson Professor NYU School of Law who will present the candidate for Doctor of Humane letters will trustee and chair designate Evan chessler please escort the candidate to the lectern [Applause] 46 prime minister of Finland you personify the promise of finland's robust democracy and demonstrated you demonstrate successful humanitarian governance when appointed as prime minister in 2019 you were the youngest person to serve as a head of government leading an all-female Coalition and a majority female cabinet you support finland's exceptional education system
which is hailed for its respect for teachers excellence and values of cooperation and equity as a Fearless advocate for long-term stewardship of the earth over expedient economic choices you continually address the Urgent issues of climate change and loss of biodiversity in your early and courageous promotion on the global stage of European security and the cause of freedom for Ukraine and NATO countries and in your determination to bring your country into NATO you are a standard Bearer for all you began your life in modest circumstances and through your strength leadership and compassion you have become a
role model for anyone who dreams of becoming an effective Shepherd a positive change and you have shown the world that a fierce Devotion to public service and active engagement in every Forum from neighborhood to Nation can be accompanied by a joyful commitment to family and community [Applause] thank you Sanam are in governing with honor and honesty you model the possibilities of democracy in action and the courage in standing up for common security against aggression you represent the Fulfillment of citizenship and the impact of Humane leadership by virtue of the authority vested in me I am
pleased to confer upon you the degree of doctor of Humane letters honoris causa [Applause] I am pleased to introduce Sana Marlin who will respond on behalf of the honorary degree recipients [Applause] thank you and most importantly my warmest congratulations to the Magnificent class of 2023 from New York University it is truly an honor to be here with you on this prestigious occasion at the NYU which has cultivated so many thinkers writers scientists and notable alumni I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the esteemed members of the faculty and the proud parents and
family members as well as the vote as friends in attendance [Applause] I want to say thank you to President Andrew Hamilton Board of Trustees chairman William Berkeley all the trustees and esteemed faculty who have all played a vital role in making this day possible I'm deeply grateful to receive this honorary degree and I'm very proud to share this occasion with my fellow honorary doctorates Caroline bertozi Mr Copeland and Freeman rabosky who inspire me with their contribution to our world foreign most importantly I'm deeply humbled to be among you all today as we celebrate the achievement
and graduation at nyu's class 2023 my dear graduates what can I say to you on this special day today is your graduation day and today when you close one chapter in your life to begin a new one it is a turning point a day of change this is why I thought it might be a good day to talk about change and to approach this theme through my own experience ever since I was elected as the youngest prime minister in the world at the age of 34 I have repeatedly been asked two questions both are related
to change the first question is did you always want to become a prime minister the second question how did you do it I will now reflect on my own answers and share some thoughts to prepare you when you are asked similar questions in the future my answer to the first question is at a young age I did not want to become a politician or a prime minister it wasn't something that I applied the answer to the second question is that I eventually did because I wanted to change things to change the world and because I
realized that is what also my responsibility not only somebody else's I knew I had already been lectured a lot since you were able to graduate from this very special institution but I thought I might add on that by offering just a few small insights more this is why I want to give you three pieces of advice about change advice number one you have to write the one things and one things to change [Applause] advice number two wanting is not enough to change things you have to take over and advice number three you have to stop
being afraid my first bit of advice is about one thing things to change when I was in my early 20s like many of you now I started to feel passionately about politics not about the decision making system not about the idea of being elected politicians I started to feel passion for issues such as climate change loss of biodiversity human rights and the rights of minorities gender equality and social justice things that I saw around me that I wanted to change I'm sure that many of you here today can relate to that feeling coming from a
rainbow family I wanted to see a society where everybody could love whomever they wanted I wanted to see renewed legislation on equal marriage and ensure human rights for all genders I wanted to close the tender makeup and wanted to see parents mothers and fathers to share their family lives more equally so that women could follow their career ambition same as men [Applause] coming from Finland a northern European country with extraordinary nature I wanted to stop climate change and see societies become more sustainable I wanted to see transition towards carbon neutrality and I wanted to end
the destruction of our environment I want that a society where everybody could have equal rights and opportunities I wanted to strengthen the education system so that every child could pursue their dream one thing these changes was what made me join my political party and run in elections no change can happen without the will this is why my first advice to you today is that you are allowed to want things and you need to want things to change for better dear class of 2023 my second piece of advice to you today is that it's also your
responsibility to take over the world is as complex as ever geopolitical of changes going on in the world are questioning the values we believe in climate change and loss of biodiversity are threatening our very existence digitalization and the development of artificial intelligence are about to bring revolutionary changes to our societies these are challenges that need to be solved and there's no one else to do that other than you for decades we have lived in a world with an optimistic expectations of progress we have expected our values such as freedom speech rule of law gender equality
and democracy the bloom hand in hand with the expansion of pre-market economy we thought that globalization and growth would be enough to benefit everyone we expected to see less authoritarian rule more respect for diversity and better world that does not discriminate against people based on their skin tone gender sexual orientation or religion we have expected the Freedom of Information and the internet to broaden everyone's understanding but the history did not end freedom of speech and other true elements of democracy are being questioned and limited all over the world whether this means diminishing the truth with
false balance or using our personal data to influence our Democratic elections the rule of law as well as freedom of suppression and the media need active defending gender equality has taken leaps backwards across the globe the right to Safe abortion is being limited also in Europe different expressions of gender are being presented as a threat the swollen amount of inequality and lack of social Mobility are challenging our ideas about this having the same possibilities and freedoms in life the tip of the iceberg of all of these worrying developments is the return of war and heavy
power politics to the Western sphere to Europe Russia has broken the rules of the international order we set up together after the world wars by brutally and illegally attacking Ukraine and in doing so it has questioned all of the other rules as well all of these questions are battles of values and we must all take aside on that battle there is no middle ground [Applause] combining climate change and biodiversity laws cannot wait for more stable times you need to take over to solve them problems caused by global warming such as extreme weather conditions rising sea
levels food shortages and The Disappearance of ecosystem affect all areas of life and truly threaten the well-being of future Generations similarly declining of biodiversity can lead to an imbalance in ecosystems which in turn can accelerate climate change and other environmental disasters stopping climate change and loss of biodiversity are essential for the environment the economy and People's Health it is clear that combating climate change also requires International cooperation and sharing of responsibility among all states in Fair manner building out future growth can be part of the solution you have all the skills to change the future
by pioneering in green technologies and digitalization this creates not only sustainable growth but also innovations that can be replicated in all corners of the world I'm sure you know much better than me how digitalization the development of artificial intelligence and Quantum Sciences are about to bring revolutionary changes in our societies yesterday I had the amazing privilege of visiting NYU standard campus in Brooklyn seeing the most advanced science Innovation and teaching they do there made it even more evident that the new technologies will Define our Societies in the near future at the same time we need
amazingly talented people like you to make sure that this technology and these digital Solutions are benefiting everyone new technology has revolutionized people's lives in many ways but their development also brings new challenges as privacy protection air-based systems for example are often dependent on a large amount of personal data at the same time they may reproduce discriminatory structures that Exist Elsewhere in society they can also be misused for surveillance purposes among other things the global competition for standards and values such as individual freedom and security behind Quantum Computing artificial intelligence or 6G networks is already on
its way and you need to step up to take part in this debate this dear graduates is the present and the future and it's your responsibility to make sure that this change is on the right track and you know what you can if you believe that the system and the whole world has to be reformed into being more democratic more equal for all genders and groups more supportive for freedom of expression you can make that happen if you want to influence global warming and safe ecosystems you can if you want to build new technology and
artificial intelligence that works for the benefit of all in an ethical and sustainable way you can my third piece of advice to you dear graduates is about how when I look back at my youth and a career I can say that actually one of the most significant things holding people back is fear sometimes it's fear of not knowing enough it might be fear of embarrassment fear of mistakes fear of being wrong it might be fear of not fitting in or fear of not meeting the expectations of others it might be fear of being declared unworthy
because of the way you look or talk and the way you express yourself luckily and unfortunately there is no Superior Authority in this world giving us permissions to be ourselves and to step forward to change the world if I have waited for permission from others to take my stand I would still be waiting for that permission this is why my key advice to you today is not actually an advice but a task stop being afraid my dear class of 2023 when you walk out of this day medium today I want you to remember these three
things you have to want things to change it is your turn to take over and most importantly don't be afraid you are enough you are capable together with others you can do anything and you must because there's no one else to do it but you dear class why am I telling you this why am I giving you these advices because there are not nearly enough women in leadership positions not nearly enough young people not nearly enough people from different backgrounds in our Democratic decision-making systems the face of the power is not the same as the
face of the people and this has to change thank you I also want things to change but I cannot do it alone I need you and others with me to make the world more equal more sustainable and more just I know I'm not alone with this thought I know many of you want the same and together we can make it a reality so now we just have to do it dear class I'm so happy to be here to do today with you in New York one of the greatest and most Progressive cities in the world
and once again my warmest congratulations to the Magnificent graduating class of 2023 from New York University [Applause]
