World Youth Forum is 'unique Egyptian idea'

Sources at the organizing committee of the World Youth Forum (WYF), set for the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh on November 4-10 said that the forum is a unique Egyptian idea.

The sources further underlined that the idea of the forum was first floated at the National Youth Conference, which is held monthly in Egypt under the aegis of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

The idea was just a proposal for allocating part of the national youth conference to discuss international issues, the sources added.

The sources further cited several youth forums across the globe, like the European Youth Forum, which is the platform of youth organisations in Europe. The forum represents 104 youth organizations, both National Youth Councils and International Non-Governmental Youth Organizations.

The UNESCO Youth Forum that was launched in 1999 to provide an innovative, ongoing opportunity for youth to work in dialogue with UNESCO, to shape and direct the Organization’s approach and to present their concerns and ideas to Member States. Every two years, young people from 195 Member States come together at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to discuss and debate thematic areas of concern.

Also, the Swiss-based G200 Youth Forum, which is scheduled to hold its coming session on December 6-10 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. Over 300 young leaders, students, and academics, representatives of the business world and governments are participating in it.

The G200 Youth Forum 2017 will have five main events which will run in tandem with each other:

1- G200 Youth Summit, which will yield the final Communiqué, and in which the best students and young experts in the fields of international relations, economics, finance, and law will play the parts of heads of state and ministers.

2- Conference, which will be held for representatives from leading world universities. All materials of the Conference will be further published in the Conference Proceedings.

3- International Young Parliamentarians’ Debate, in which members of state and youth parliaments from different countries will exchange ideas and experience in all aspects of creating and implementing legislation. At the end of the Debate, delegates will elaborate the Joint Statement.

4- G200 Young Professionals Platform, which will be held for individuals, who work as an employee in business companies and are in the early stages of their career.

5- G200 Entrepreneurs Platform, which will be held for the owners of small or medium size business and for tomorrow’s entrepreneurs with a complete business plan.

The sources also talked about the Euro-Arab Youth Forum, which aims to foster mutual cooperation and dialogue among European and Arab Youth leaders and representatives of youth associations on topics of shared concern within a framework of commitment to a culture of universal human rights and intercultural dialogue. 

The Forums have the objective:

1- To contribute to the development of shared knowledge and to increase the awareness about meanings and practices of Intercultural Dialogue, Human Rights and Euro-Arab cooperation

2- To explore the role and practices of education for citizenship and human rights in building peaceful cohesive societies and preventing discrimination, hate speech, islamophobia and extremism leading to violence

3- To develop proposals which aim to involve young people in the issues on the Arab-European dialogue agenda (social, economic, spiritual, cultural, and political) based on their ability to challenge stereotypical images. 

The sixth edition of the Euro-Arab Youth Forum was hosted by the Moroccan Youth and Sports Ministry in April 2017. The aim of the forum is to mobilize young people and youth organizations from Arab and European regions to engage in dialogue and cooperation against violent extremism and hate speech. 

The 6th forum reflected the current concerns shared by young people in both regions, notably:

1- The consequences of violent extremism, terrorism and populism.

2- The consequences of armed conflicts and violence.

The fate of refugees and asylum-seekers.

3- The deterioration of the climate of human rights and dialogue.

4- The implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, notably those concerning education, peace and intercultural dialogue.

5- Actions and campaigning by young people against or in reaction to the above. 

Source: MENA