"The future of a nation is its Youth", this is a statement that holds profound truth. International Youth Day is dedicated to the youths of every country in the world.
The concept of International Youth Day was suggested in 1991 by the youngsters from Vienna and Austria, for the first conference of the UN’s World Youth Council.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later designated 12th August as International Youth Day in 1999 and it was observed for the first time in 2000. It is a golden opportunity for young men and women to create awareness about the confrontation and problems that they usually face around the globe.
A theme is chosen yearly depending on current happenings in the world, with the global pandemic, World Bank, estimates suggest, around 600 million jobs would have to be created in the next 15 years to meet the employment needs of the youth globally and hence this year's theme of International Youth Day 2020 is “Youth Engagement for Global Action”.
This year theme according to the UN seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes, as well as draw lessons on how their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics can be significantly enhanced.
In celebration of this year’s youth day, the UN has started a social media campaign#31DaysOfYOUth to put the spotlight on the young people and their engagement to bring about global change.
To participate in this, share the issues you are passionate about and the steps you are taking to address them, using the #31DaysofYOUth hashtag. The UN will also be using this hashtag to describe the steps it’s taking to include young people in its vital work around the world.
The UN is taking giant leaps to curtail the effect of the pandemic on the youths, so stand up and make a positive impact on your society today!
You can, I can, We can.