[As Delivered]

Your Excellency, Lachezara Stoeva, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United Nations,
Excellencies,
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to today’s inaugural celebration of the International Day of Play.
My only regret is that – due to other official commitments away from New York – I am not able to join you in-person for this important, uplifting and indeed joyful commemoration.
As has so often been said, play is rarely, if ever, only about playing. It is about building bonds, tapping into the power of imagination, and learning interactively.
I dare say that every one of us – regardless of our background – can recall fond memories from our childhood; memories of the sense of wonder and freedom that playing gave; memories that we want our own children and grandchildren to experience.
As President, I recall a recent experience when I did some reading to children – right here at the General Assembly.
Listening with rapt attention, they reminded me of the suspension of disbelief and excitement to explore new worlds that only children are truly capable of.
They deserve the right to explore worlds of their own making – and the joy of their own creativity through play.
It is in times of play that we learn and plant the seeds for self-learning and self-care, for patience, for resilience – and for sharing and cooperation.

Dear Colleagues,
Playing opens the doors – however early and earnestly – to the most mature and complex aspects of human development.
It is here that we can nurture peace and security, sustainability, and respect for one and all.
But – as is often the case – the right to play is a right that is far too often relegated to the bottom of the list of concerns, with millions of children denied the simplest and yet most crucial aspects of their formative years.
We – as policymakers – can help to rectify this by putting in place the systems and mechanisms to support a play-conducive space that is safe, inspiring, and empowering.
Let us work together – as parents and grandparents, as extended family and guardians, as one-time-children ourselves – to ensure that this most simple and vital resource is available and accessible to all children, everywhere, so that all may flourish and thrive.

I thank you.

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