Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaking at the opening of the World Youth Forum
At the humanity justice court, a group of aging children appealed to its judge, accusing Santa Clause that he has never visited them.
Their claim is that Santa never came to them, not once, despite their sorrows, pain and suffering from famines and epidemics.
They lived across war zones where human services were scarce and where they were forced as children to carry weapons.
These children’s features become wrinkled because they have been forever down in the dumps.
They were victim to intellectual extremism, sectarian conflicts, hostile cultures, bullying, and abuse as they were denied happiness, hope and a bright future.
As the participants of the 3rd edition of the World Youth Forum watched this multi-cultural theater performance, ‘The Trial’, written and directed by Khaled Galal and performed in a universal artistic language, the message of peace and stability clearly echoed.
Hosted by the Egyptian resort town, Sharm El-Sheikh, situated between the desert and the red sea, the World Youth Forum launched in 2017 is a platform with a mission to enable youth around the world engage in key global issues and recommend initiatives to top policymakers.
Opening the forum’s sessions was a panel discussion on ‘International Peace and Security; Current Challenges’ which concluded that international effort based on trust is needed to solve the issue of conflict.
Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in an intervention during the session called on everyone to join hands to support countries facing terrorism, stressing the necessity for the world’s major countries to have a decisive stance against countries that support terrorism.
“There is an example I heard from our brothers in Africa saying that when two elephants fight the grass suffers, I mean, when big countries are engaged in conflicts, small countries pay the price,” he noted.
The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said during his participation in the session that the world will pay a high price for not resolving conflicts in the Arab region.
Aboul Gheit believes that the Palestinian issue has been lost in the midst of all these problems facing the world and it is very possible that the international community will pay the price dearly in getting away and forgetting this issue.
Former European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos, commended the Egyptian government for making the issue of peace and security in the region, topical at the forum.
He said the youth, children and women are often those who bear the brunt of conflict, adding that peace and stability are the foundations for development and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The fact that this issue was chosen proves that your country wants to take the leading role in peace and stability in the regions,” he said.
“Now is the time to engage more with good faith and trust with all partners globally otherwise terrorism will never be defeated and migration will be a political, and cultural problem although it should not be.”
The forum never shy of other trending topics such as the fourth industrial revolution, food security, environmental challenges, women empowerment, human capital development and arts and cinema.
The session on “Women and right to development” discussed the importance of supporting women’s rights by the governments and communities to realize their dreams in life and be able to confront challenges and acquire skills.
It also shed light on the vital role of women in educating their children, especially males, on women’s rights and the need for governments and societies to protect the productive and reproductive roles of women, by providing quality education and health services.
Youth Employment
The “Human Capital Development: Opportunities and Challenges” session looked at the gap between skills and talents and the job market requirements particularly at a time when the labor market of the future is shifting from governance to culture, placing emphasis on skills such as leadership, teamwork and digital talents, stressing that our biggest asset in the region is human capital.
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Director-General Li Yong, urged world leaders to scale-up improvement on youths’ growth and employment.
According to him, with more than half of the world’s population under the age of 30, the rate of unemployment has continued to rise steadily.
“Global Youth unemployment rate risen steadily from 1999 to 2018 from 9.3 percent to 12.8 percent,” the UNIDO Director-General said.
He argued that when young people participate and are included in the economic and democratic process, the processes would be sustainable.
Yong urged governments to focus on manufacturing, adding that it is one of the fundamental drivers for technology innovation.
One Voice
The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, together with the Egyptian President expressed concern that the United Nations’ 2030 agenda for sustainable development will not be visible unless leaders address the need for investing in young people.
“We need to realise that youths are the game-changers in their quest for innovation, sustainable solutions, jobs, wealth and economic development.
“Youth inclusion in the workforce is an integral part of achieving sustainable industrial development. It is time for us to put those who will lead the future of tomorrow in the driving seat,” he said.
Mr. Guterres said a lot of young people face challenges that prevent them from achieving their full potentials, adding that it is unacceptable.
From Jamila Akweley Okertchiri, Sharm El Shiekh, Egypt