In light of growing global challenges and geopolitical changes, many questions hang over the role of youth in shaping solutions to address these challenges. How they envision the future? Is it bright, gloomy or foggy?
In commemoration of the International Youth Day, which is marked every year on August 12, The Egyptian Gazette asked influential youth leaders from across the world to share their messages on this important day, which was first marked in 1999 after the UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution accepting the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon.
Great potential for African youth
Daniel Obal, special presidential aide to Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, said that the international youth day provides us an opportunity to assess our progress in the advancement of the interests of the young people.
Obal added that youth is at heart of African Union’s development agenda, referring to the initiative ‘One Million by 2021’, which seeks to mobilise and simulate action for youth development.
He also referred to the Bingwa Initiative which is an African Union public-private-youth initiative co-led by Africa CDC
and the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate.
“All these initiatives reflect commitments to youth inclusion. In Uganda, President Museveni has demonstrated
such commitments. I am hopeful that the African youths will smile to a brilliant future.”
Ensuring healthy, safe future
Carolina Tornesi Mackinnon, who is president of World Youth Parliament for Water, spoke of an obvious need to positively change the direction we are heading to assure a healthy and safe future.
“I believe young people are an untapped resource for catalysing this,” she said, pointing out that one of the biggest obstacles young people face is finding opportunities and adequate investments.
“Such opportunities and investments
will enable us to showcase our innovative ideas and inputs in a collaborative environment.”
The World Youth Parliament for Water works with young leaders across borders to implement sustainable and practical solutions to global water issues.
Outside-the-box thinking
Ahmed Fathy, founder of Youth
Love Egypt Foundation (YLE) which is co-host of COY-17, said that the fast growing technologies and endless access to knowledge constitute a real challenge for youth in terms of coping up with such technologies.
On International Youth Day, Fathy urges young people to think outside the box, highlighting the great potential of the so-called green jobs.
“Green jobs related to renewable energy and related domains are the future jobs. The world needs creative minds in fields of clean energy, smart water management and many more.”
Fathy also urged young people to prepare themselves to meet the new demands of labour market.
“They have to learn how to be multi-taskers with creative minds.”
Challenging times, vast opportunities
Carlos Sentis, Secretary General of the World Innovation Alliance and CEO at WIA Improve X Consulting, said that in moments of converging crises, we, the youth, must assume full responsibility and work harder than ever to drive a future of prosperity for ourselves and others.
“We shall focus on continuous improvement, improving ourselves, our institutions and our communities besides focusing on preserving and expanding health, education, peace, stability, freedoms, human rights, and economic development.”
Sentis noted that young people live challenging times. However, he stressed that youth can overcome all these challenges.
“There is no challenge we cannot overcome if we work together and support each other.”
Power of youth representation
Costa Rican-born Alexa Silva, 22, has experience in international co-operation, project formulation and management, international development, human rights, gender, peace, climate justice, humanitarian action and human mobility. Silva represented Costa Rica for the first time in several international events as the Global Peace Summit Dubai 2022 and the Nasser Fellowship in Egypt 2022.
Silva believes in the power of the representation.
“I believe in the youth all over the world because we are the present and the future. We are that generation that has faced issues that no other generation faced before; but this has not been a reason for us to stop our commitment to the further.”
On the International Youth Day, Silva encourages every institution, every company, every organisation to support youth, to include their perspectives and ideas, besides giving them the opportunity that they deserve.
“I encourage as well, every young leader to make an impact in your community, in your region, in your school, because day by day, we are making this world a better place.”
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