Former US President Barack Obama has called for younger people to be given more space to lead and share their ideas, saying they are often more in tune with the realities of today.
Obama made the remarks while speaking about the need to find a new generation of leaders and thinkers instead of always turning to older, established figures.
He noted that older generations have valuable wisdom, but said some may no longer fully understand the challenges people face today.
“Getting younger voices out there, giving them platforms, I think is really important. Identifying this generation of leaders as opposed to past generations of leaders, this generation of thinkers, rather than those who still have a lot of wisdom, but are not as attuned to the moment.”
Obama also pointed to older men staying in political power as a major global challenge. He linked this to fears about becoming irrelevant and facing death.
“One of the challenges we face globally is old men clinging to power. And I say men very deliberately. They’re afraid of irrelevance, and death, and this has been a theme of humanity since its inception. And don’t encourage it,” he said.
