Prince Harry has issued an urgent plea to governments and branded it 'unacceptable' that young people risk having their 'futures stolen'.
The Duke of Sussex's words came as he kicked off a run of high-profile appearances in New York, as he joined the charity set up in memory of his late mother to discuss the global mental health crisis facing young people.
Harry is championing causes close to his heart and those associated with Diana, Princess of Wales on the solo east coast trip with two days of events in the Big Apple during UN General Assembly High-Level Week and Climate Week.
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The King’s youngest son took part in a panel today with the Diana Award, which was set up in honour of the princess and marks its 25th anniversary this year. Harry joined the charity's chief executive, Dr Tessy Ojo, and two winners of the Diana Legacy Award, Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, 18, from Indonesia, and Christina Williams, 27, from Jamaica.
Harry, who was wearing a gold, square Diana Award badge on the lapel of his dark suit, asked the two Diana Legacy Award winners taking part what "worries you the most about the world today?" and "what are the biggest barriers to young people reaching their full potential?"
During the question and answer session, he also asked quizzed them on how poor mental health had impacted them and their peers. And after he called on governments to bring young people into decision-making policy. Members of the Royal Family usually remain politically neutral.
He 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. That is where the difference is going to be made. And why is that not happening?"
Afterwards, Harry was asked by Diana Award chief executive De Ojo: "What are you hopeful for?" Harry laughed and quipped: "Can I go last?" before letting the two Legacy Award winners Christina Williams, and 18-year-old Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, from Indonesia, speak first.
Harry said afterwards: "The reason why I wanted to go last is because these guys are the ones that give me hope. 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.
"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."
Harry is following this later with an appearance for the Halo Trust, the landmine clearance charity supported by Diana, and then 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 is 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.
