10th UNESCO Youth Forum held in Paris
- By Guo Yiming
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 27, 2017
Youth representatives from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds gathered in Paris for intensive dialogue at the 10th UNESCO Youth Forum held between Oct. 25 and 26.
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Robert Xiao, CEO of Perfect World, UNESCO’s partner in the private sector, speaks at the 10th UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris held between Oct. 25 and 26. [Photo provided to China.org.cn] |
Themed “Rethinking Youth Engagement With UNESCO,” the biennial event this year gave attendees a treatment of actors with a proactive role, as well as gathered concrete suggestions on how the organization can renew its commitment to young people.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova asked all young people to be bold and speak their minds and concerns to contribute to a better world.
With 1.8 billion young people aged 10 to 24 across the globe, she said “the world has never been so young and it is getting younger every day.”
“You are more educated, more connected, more widely travelled and more outspoken than any other young generation before,” she told youth representatives from UNESCO member states.
Bokova called for young people to get involved in shaping decisions, to lead in their implementation and to take credit for their success, instead of being passive beneficiaries of policies.
Robert Xiao, CEO of Perfect World, UNESCO’s partner in the private sector, hoped for increased youth engagement in world affairs.
Young people should assume leadership in government, the business sector and in civil society earlier than the former generations and increase their influence and impact in governing their countries, Xiao said. He also called for the private sector to shoulder more responsibility in shaping a better world for the youth.
During the two-day event, a series of recommended tasks and priorities have been drafted to guide UNESCO’s youth actions for the next biennium and will be presented at the 39th session of the UNESCO General Conference.
Since 1999, the UNESCO Youth Forum has provided 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.
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