Twelve-year-old Prince Edward Islander Basel Alrashdan was a little taken aback when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called him Monday morning.

But he quickly took it in stride. After all, he was about to speak at the UN. He responded after a brief moment of surprise.

"Hi, good morning. How are you, Mr. Prime Minister."

Alrashdan was at the UN's New York headquarters for World Children's Day, one of a group of young people that participated in a "children's takeover" of the UN. Alrashdan was scheduled to speak about his experience of being a refugee from the Syrian war, and Trudeau called him in advance to congratulate him.

Alrashdan told the prime minister he was looking forward to sharing his message at the UN.

"[For] people to be fair to their children and give every child their rights and keep them safe," he said.

"We need more voices like yours, elevating themselves and sharing that message strongly," Trudeau responded.

Trudeau told Alrashdan he was representing his community and young people all around the world, and he was extremely proud of him.