CAIRO: University students from all over Egypt gathered Sunday at Cairo University to celebrate the pre-launch of the International Year of Youth, which is set to kick off on Aug. 12. "In its resolution proclaiming the International Year of Youth, the [United Nations] General Assembly called on governments, civil society, individuals and communities worldwide to support activities at local and international levels to mark the event, said James Rawley, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt. "Under the theme 'Dialogue and Mutual Understanding,' the Year aims to encourage dialogue and understanding across generations and promote the ideals of peace, respect for human rights and freedoms, and solidarity, he explained. Last December, the United Nations proclaimed an International Year of Youth starting on 12 Aug. 12, 2010 in an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world's youth in overcoming the challenges facing humankind, from enhancing peace to boosting economic development, according to the UN official website. The pre-launch in Egypt was organized by Cairo University in collaboration with the United Nations, El Sawy Culture Wheel, the National Council for Youth and the Information and Decision Support Center. "The aim of today is to solicit youth views [and what they] hope to see [done] throughout the year, said Rawley. "We want to open all areas for the youth as they are catalysts of social change, said President of Cairo University, Hossam Kamel. "We want them to actively participate in the political reform and we want to get rid of the sidelining of youth completely, and the core of this is changing the syllabi at educational institutions, he explained, pointing out that the syllabi should be developed and more extracurricular activities should be added. The point was later stressed on by the Minister of Family and Population, Moshira Khattab, who said, "The most important right of the youth is education . An education that prepares [students] to positively participate in their community and develops their talent but this has to be complimented by the student yearning and searching for knowledge. With regards to the year's theme of 'Dialogue and Mutual Understanding,' Khattab said that the youth need to be given room to express themselves and for their opinions to be taken when setting youth-related policies. The International Year of Youth also encourages young people to dedicate themselves to fostering progress, including the attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals, which seek to slash a host of social ills, ranging from extreme poverty and hunger to maternal and infant mortality to lack of access to education and health care, all by 2015. "The International Year is about advancing the full and effective participation of youth in all aspects of society, UN Focal Point on Youth Nicola Shepherd said at the time. "We encourage all sectors of society to work in partnership with youth and youth organizations to better understand their needs and concerns and to recognize the contributions that they can make to society, she added. The celebration also saw an overview of the Egyptian Human Development Report on Youth and the presentation of the website for youth: Shabab.net.eg. Students attending the event expressed a number of concerns. A student from Qena governorate said that they don't have internet access which makes it impossible for them to participate and voice their opinions through the website. It's not internet access, he added, but a general problem of limited resources. Another verbally impaired student pointed out that double standards shouldn't mar 'mutual understanding' and the endeavor to end the sideling of the youth. "You can not promote mutual understanding when at universities you separate the people with disabilities from [the rest] during activities such as field trips, he said.
