As the world is celebrating International Youth Day on August 12, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message that the youth today are on the frontlines of the struggle to build a better future for all.
In a video message, he said that the highlight of this year's International Youth Day will be on "solutions developed by young innovators to address challenges to our food systems". Since "young people cannot do it on their own. They need allies to make sure they are engaged, included and understood," he said and urged everyone "to guarantee young people a seat at the table as we build a world based on inclusive, fair, and sustainable development for all".
Celebrated every year on 12 August, the International Youth Day seeks youth all over the world to play a very important role in modern society with a focus on youth issues and bring them to the attention of the international community.
The United Nations has been observing the day to acknowledge and celebrate the potential of youth as partners in the global society. The theeme for this year is "Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health."
Essentially, the focus is to highlight issues in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic all over the world and to facilitate discussion and broaden the vision of the youth as per the deliberations held at ECOSOC Youth Forum (EYF) 2021.
According to UN's website, young participants of EYF 2021 have emphasised the importance of working towards more equitable food systems.
With the world's population expected to increase by 2 billion people in the next 30 years, it has become recognized by numerous stakeholders that simply producing a larger volume of healthier food more sustainably will not ensure human and. planetary wellbeing, said the UN on its website.
Other crucial challenges must also be addressed, such as the interlinkages embodied by the 2030 Agenda including poverty reduction; social inclusion; health care; biodiversity conservation; and climate change mitigation, it noted.
History of International Youth Day
International Youth Day is celebrated worldwide to take the voice, works and inventions made by the youth to the global level and to provide a global platform to the problems ebing faced by the youth, especially in international organizations like the United Nations, Human Rights, ECOSOC, among others.
However, due to the Covid pandemic, this year's International Youth Day program will be held online and various programs are being planned to discuss and elicit views of the youth on political, social and economic issues. The UN website has recommended the following list to celebrate the day:
What to focus on International Youth Day 2021
- Educational radio show: Contact popular local/national radio stations to request a slot to have a discussion with distinguished individuals and youth.
- Organize a (virtual) public meeting or debate to discuss young people's contributions to global issues.
- Initiate round table discussions among adults and young people to promote intergenerational understanding.
- Organize a youth forum to exchange ideas and discuss cultural backgrounds in order to help young people accept others and popularize a culture of non-violence.
- Organize a (virtual) concert to promote International Youth Day and the launch of the Year. Invite your local musicians and combine it with a panel discussion or invite a politician or policy maker to hold the key note speech.
- Create an "info point" about youth-related issues in the center of town/village, at high schools, or at university centers.
- Organize an exhibition. Get permission to use a public space for an arts exhibit, which showcases the challenges of young people today or how young people are contributing to development. Try to involve young people in the domains of culture, arts and music, to raise awareness on youth-related issues.
- Write to your Minister of Youth to inform him or her about the challenges young people face in their daily lives and to suggest solutions. A list of Ministers of Youth can be found at www.un.org/youth.
Messages / Quotes on International Youth Day:
"The Youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job seekers" – APJ Abdul Kalam.
"Youth is the best time. The way in which you utilize this period will decide the nature of coming years that lie ahead of you" – Swami Vivekananda.
"Everybody's youth is a dream, a form of chemical madness" – F. Scott Fitzgerald.
"Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die" – Herbert Hoover.
India celebrates International Youth Day
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is among the first leaders who greeted youth in his state on the occasion of the International Youth Day (August 12) stating, "The future belongs to the Telangana youth."
The CM said keeping in view the future of youth, the state government is redesigning and revamping agriculture, industries and IT sectors. In the sectors where there is potential for employment such as tourism, logistics and other such new sectors, the government is encouraging youth, he added.
