The Youth Forum, which was held today within the framework of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, discussed stimulating efforts to empower this group in about 46 countries that suffered from insufficient resources to combat epidemics and escalating debts, which led to a decline in their development progress.
During their interventions at the forum, the youth speakers focused on noting its importance to this segment in reviewing and sharing their solutions, work and impact, and discussing development issues that affect them, including building educational and skill capacities, health and employment, climate change, peace and security, human rights and migration.
Intervenors from countries including Myanmar, Nepal, Malawi, Timor and Lesotho discussed their visions for a better future, stressing the importance of their commitment to contribute to the Doha Work Program and its comprehensive thematic commitments.
They called on governments, civil society and the private sector to play a serious role in bringing about the required transformation within the least developed countries, so that the contributions made to them are meaningful to achieve the goals of sustainable development in them, stressing that bringing about this transformation must be characterized by sustainability, and for everyone, including youth, to be a part of it. To manage the problems you face today.
In addition, the forum shed light on some of the experiences and projects of young entrepreneurs from a number of least developed countries, reviewing their efforts in establishing these small and medium income-generating projects, and the financing-related obstacles that limit their success.
The youth forum within the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries is one of the activities that precede the official launch of the conference tomorrow (Sunday).
Within the framework of this track, several sessions during the conference days will discuss issues such as: challenges and opportunities to support forcibly displaced youth in least developed countries, enhancing youth economic inclusion and entrepreneurial skills, innovative youth-focused financing – sustainable investment in future generations, transforming education in less Developed countries: Ensuring focus on inclusion and gender equality, paving the way for an enabling environment for youth to flourish.. The outcome of the Youth Forum shall be the adoption of the Youth Declaration entitled “For All Generations”.
The United Nations and its specialized agencies estimate that there are 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 around the world, nearly 90 percent of whom live in developing countries, where they make up a large proportion of the population.
In her briefing, she said: "Failure to engage young people in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Doha Work Program as essential partners will not only affect them, but also their communities and countries, and ultimately our shared vision of a better and more sustainable future, and for this reason, the United Nations is working to ensure that youth are at the heart of Plans to achieve a new program of action, by meeting their developing needs, and enabling them to promote progress. Therefore, the conference will create space to discuss and develop targeted policies to empower young people in least developed countries.".
The United Nations believed that when this segment is provided with the necessary skills and opportunities to participate in decision-making and realize their latent potential, they can be a driving force for sustainable development, peace and security, as they are able to make a positive impact on a large scale despite the unprecedented challenges that hinder them from creating a bright future for themselves. Among them are the stronger effects of climate change, the ongoing global epidemic of /Covid-19/, and the consequences of the measures taken to confront it, which made this group suffer from the repercussions of issues caused by previous generations.
