Can youth extend a hand for peace? Nevine El-Aref probes for an answer Although youth, who represent one-fifth of global society, are the ambassadors for human values and the future as well as the seeds of peace, they do not yet have sufficient opportunity to play an active role in shaping the future of their communities. But in 1999, when UNESCO took the initiative to help empower youngsters voice their ideas and expectations by holding the first Youth Forum in Paris, that has changed. The UNESCO Youth Forum, which is held every two years in a different country, brings together young delegates from all over the world to exchange views, share experiences, reflect together and, above all, detect common preoccupations and problems. It also played a very important role in bridging the inevitable gap between young people and a highly complex international organisation on the one hand and the older generations on the other hand. It also helped to reach out to youth, responding to their expectations and ideas, fostering useful and long-lasting skills. The fourth UNESCO Youth Forum in 2005 proposed the organisation of preparatory regional UNESCO youth forums in 2006 and 2007 -- "Young people and the dialogue among civilisations, cultures and peoples", with a specific focus on education for sustainable development and intercultural and interfaith dialogue to ensure peace -- in six regions prior to the 2007 UNESCO youth forum. These regions are the Pacific, the Euro-Mediterranean region, Asia, the Arab states, Africa and the Americas. Since then, three forums have been held in Tahiti in the Pacific, Cyprus in Europe, and Jeju Island in Korea, Asia. The forums for the Arab states will be held at the Red Sea coast city of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, for the Americas in Mexico city, and for Africa in Burkina Faso. As young people constitute one of the greatest potentials for shaping the future of their nations, the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement (SMWIPM) took the initiative to organise the International Youth Forum entitled "The Power of Youth for Peace", under the slogan "Youth Speak, We Listen!" as a pivotal step in its series of youth-oriented forums. When faced with tomorrow's challenges, their choice of violence or peaceful resolutions will depend on the opportunities given to them today. Nurturing in them a sense of self-esteem, of belonging and identity with their own communities, opens up avenues for their active participation in political, social and economic life. Ensuring that youth are at the heart of endeavours is the key to increasing the probability of a peaceful tomorrow. This forum was launched by Suzanne Mubarak late last week during a gala ceremony held in one of Egypt's luxury hotels, the Four Seasons, in the Garden City area of Cairo. During the ceremony, attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Tareq Kamel, Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George, intellectuals, NGOs, and a group of youth from different layers of society, Mrs Mubarak also announced the launching of the International Youth Forum website. It offers information about the forum including news updates, details about the event itself and media information. During the forum the website will be updated with a synopsis immediately following each session and with a review of the events each day. Addressing the attendees, Mrs Mubarak said that SMWIPM's International Youth Forum is planned, organised and run by youth. It aims to connect young people from all over the world who believe in peace, need peace and want to infuse it in the hearts and minds of their societies. It will be an opportunity for young people to highlight their enormous potential as reformers, open to the exchange of ideas, eager to join forces and strengthen their capacity to serve the causes they champion. "Youth are central to the process of peace," Mrs Mubarak pointed out adding that "not just because they are the stakeholders of our future but because many of them are already playing decisive roles in shaping our future. We must listen to them." "It is unreasonable to expect youth to prevent ongoing wars but they can still help build a more peaceful future." Mrs Mubarak added that, "differences, no matter what they are, cannot withstand those who have a desire to make a change." However, research shows that youth around the world aren't interested in participating in politics, she said, therefore, "we need to change that. We trust youth. We are aiming to foster a culture of responsibility." During the ceremony Mrs Mubarak announced the creation of a youth unit in SMWIPM which will serve to maintain the momentum of the forum, keeping participants connected and creating an international network of young people interested in working to serve their respective communities and nations. She also described such a forum as an opportunity to extend a hand in creating and strengthening partnership between older generations and youth, a partnership which she referred to as co-management. "If youth aren't given a say in the decisions of war," Mubarak said, "then let their voices be raised in hopes of peace." Minister Kamel said the forum will witness the inking of a partnership agreement between the International Communication Association, the World Alliance for Telecommunication and Information Technology and Development, Sisco Company and Microsoft, as well as the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, in a bid to promote the initiative at both regional and international levels. He claimed that the forum is also aiming at promoting information and communication technology (ICT) for a peace initiative which will involve six tracks such as developing e-content for peace, ICT skills development and smart Internet usage. From 1-3 September, the city of peace, Sharm El-Sheikh, will host 600 young people from 100 different countries aged 15 to 18 who are actively engaged in promoting peace in its broadest sense through various channels including dialogue, community development, arts, cultural activities, and sports. Preference will also be given to young leaders, who are committed to building bridges between nations and interested in collaborating on joint ventures. The forum will give its participants free reign to explore various themes that represent integral aspects of peace building and cover various topics of interest to youth such as culture, health, the media, youth participation, community development, the environment, skill formation and information technology. It will also focus on themes such as "Understanding ourselves, appreciating the other", "ICT for Peace", "Youth leadership development", "Violence or peace? A personal choice" and "Health for all: peace for all: sports for all". The three-day forum will bring together a diverse and distinguished group of speakers, moderators, and participants to discuss key issues affecting youth around the world. Among them are Mohamed El-Zohairy, an Egyptian software engineer who has worked with international teams of youth to develop educational applications and websites over the past seven years, and Najat Rochdi, Moroccan regional coordinator of ICTDAR. She has extensive experience dealing with ICT for development issues. Riz Khan, former CNN and BBC presenter, Jeffrey D Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, Quetelet professor of sustainable development and professor of health policy and management at Columbia University, American economist Michael Spence, Gamal Mubarak, secretary-general of the Policies Committee of the National Democratic Party, the chairman of Medinvest Associated Ltd and chairman of the Future Generation Foundation, an NGO dedicated to job training. A number of activities will be held on the fringe of the forum, among them a flamenco show, a gala diner, a Bedouin night, and ICT- related activities where eight booths highlighting award-winning practices by youth in using ICT to enhance dialogue, understanding and empathy. The forum is sponsored by several Egyptian and international organisatons, among them the CairoAlexandria Stock Exchange, Dream Land, El-Gouna, Ez DK, the Egyptian National Bank, EgyptAir, Xceed, CIB, the World Bank and Nike. A number of NGOs are also sponsoring the event, including Youth Employment Summit (YES), AFS, AIESEC and UN Agencies such as UNICEF, UNIFEM, and the United Nations Information Centre.
