International Youth Year begins on August 12 :

A landmark Year for Youth

By Pramod DE SILVA

Youth are the lifeblood of any country or for that matter, of the entire world. They make up nearly one-fifth of the world’s population and make a very significant contribution to the world’s economy. The youth are worthy of celebration and this is exactly what the world will be doing on August 12, International Youth Day.

This Youth Day is a particularly important day for youth around the world. In December 2009, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming the Year commencing this International Youth Day (August 12 2010) as the International Year of Youth.

The International Year is about advancing the full and effective participation of youth in all aspects of society. The UN is encouraging all sectors of society to work in partnership with youth and youth organisations to better understand their needs and concerns and to recognise the contributions that they can make to society. The theme for the Year is “Our Year, Our Voice” which highlights the need for recognising the voice of youth around the world. There will also be a World Youth Conference at the end of this Year.

The UN defines youth as those in the ages 15-24, but in most societies, the upper limit usually extends to 30.

In line with the theme for the International Year, the theme for this year’s International Youth Day is Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. The choice of the theme reflects the UN General Assembly’s appreciation of the value of dialogue among youth from different cultures as well as among different generations.

The UN has called for increased commitment and investment in youth, increased youth participation and partnerships, and increased intercultural understanding among youth.

These are vital in today’s world, which has seen many conflicts that arose as a result of lack of dialogue and understanding. Youth must maintain a dialogue among themselves on various social and economic issues and also foster understanding among each other.

Youth exchange programs

Governments can participate in this endeavour by organising youth exchange programs (cultural and educational), foreign language training programs, more scholarships for learning abroad, easing travel restrictions for youth, creating more youth hostels and other such steps. Here in Sri Lanka, there should be greater interaction among youth from the North and the South.

The International Youth Day will be celebrated at the United Nations headquarters in New York with the global launch event of the International Year of Youth. According to the UN, the event will be a celebration of young people’s’ energy, imagination and initiatives and will recognise their crucial contributions to enhancing peace and development.

The UN says the event is an opportunity for the international community and the UN system to demonstrate their commitment to young people. It will also be a fun occasion with musical guests and performances. A photo exhibit entitled Visual Voices - Youth perspectives on Global Issues will be inaugurated in the UN visitors’ lobby. The exhibition will be open to the public until early September. Visual Voices showcases photographs from young people around the world that capture their views on Governance, Climate Change and Gender, three key topics, important to youth and the United Nations.

In addition to the global launch event at the UN Headquarters, there will be celebrations all over the world, which will highlight opportunities and challenges for youth throughout the International Year of Youth in different regions and countries.

There will be several events in Sri Lanka as well, organised by the Youth Affairs Ministry and the National Youth Services Council. Youth from various parts of the island including the North and the East will join these events.

The International Youth Day was an initiative of the United Nations. The General Assembly on December 17, 1999 in its resolution 54/120, endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Youth Ministers (Lisbon, August 8-12, 1998) that August 12 be declared International Youth Day. The First International Youth Day was celebrated in 2000. Every year, the Day is celebrated under a different theme. Last year’s theme was Sustainability: Our Challenge-Our Future.

The International Youth Day is an ideal opportunity to focus on the youth and their problems. All over the world, youth face many problems such as unemployment, lack of educational opportunities and social injustices. War and conflict are among other factors that affect youth. In Sri Lanka, a large number of youth lost their lives in the 30-year conflict. The youth in LTTE dominated areas were forcibly conscripted to their ranks, thus depriving them of their basic rights and education. There is no more terrorism in our land and these youth again have an opportunity to regain lost freedoms and opportunities.

Governments around the world should also fulfil other obligations towards the youth. Frustrated youth have given rise to rebellions around the world. We have seen two such instances here as well. It is therefore vital for their problems to be addressed properly. For example, there should be other educational and career paths for youth who fail to enter the conventional universities. Employment creation is equally important.Youth should be empowered for them to make a positive contribution to society. It can be on political and social levels - their voices should be heard by the rest of society. Their views and inputs should be taken into account when designing and implementing development and welfare projects.

Positive trend

More youth should be encouraged to enter the decisionmaking process at least at regional level. A recent positive trend is that more youth are getting elected to Provincial Councils and Parliament. There is in fact provision for Local Government Elections that at least 35 percent of the candidates should be youth.

When talking about youth, one should not forget the gender factor. There is a tendency in many countries to alienate young women from the mainstream of society. Fortunately, such a trend has not been witnessed in our country.

It is essential to provide young women with more economic, educational, social and political opportunities. For example, there are many cases where women are paid less for the same amount of work. Such anomalies should not exist.

There are several other factors affecting youth, including starvation and malnutrition, poverty, health, drug exploitation, exploitation for sex, recreation and environment. The authorities must address these issues as well to provide a better future for youth.

Youth have aspirations for a better tomorrow. They have goals for themselves and the world they live in. As the world celebrates another International Youth Day, all should realise the importance of allowing the youth a bigger say regarding the future of our Earth. A better understanding and dialogue among the world’s youth will go a long way towards achieving this objective.