Around 1,500 youth, senior government officials, and development partners from over 100 countries convene in Sri Lanka this week for the World Conference on Youth (WCY).
The conference, which takes place from 5 May -10 May in Colombo, positions youth as critical for the development of the post-2015 development agenda. This includes youth’s role in: reviewing the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, facilitating effective partnerships, and contributing to the implementation of the post -2015 development agenda.
The WCY, supported by the Government of Sri Lanka, will be one of the most well represented youth events ever to take place at the global level. Of the 1,500 participants, nearly half (700) will be young people aged 18 to 29. Youth (2 per country) will be members of participating country delegations, with additional participation of young people from marginalized backgrounds and under-represented groups. As many as 100 youth delegates from Sri Lankan are also expected to participate.
The Conference will produce a joint outcome document between states and youth called the “Colombo Action Plan”. The plan aims to increase:
- awareness on the World Programme for Action on Youth
- intergenerational dialogue to strengthen youth participation in global/regional/national development
- commitment to youth policy with effective participation of young people
- efforts to strengthen and boost the establishment of national youth councils
- investment and resources on youth development and participation
- understanding of the priorities of youth for the post-2015 development agenda.
UNESCO Bangkok is participating in the conference and providing support through:
- Engaging young people to participate in the Asia-Pacific Youth Opinion Poll to inform the first-ever United Nations Asia-Pacific Report on Youth.
- Hosting a workshop to build youth organizations’ and networks’ capacities to address gender and sexuality, as a member of the Asia-Pacific UN Interagency Task Team on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV, and youth networks.
- Supporting information sharing and learning about UN support to youth globally through the UN Information booth.
Follow UNESCO’s engagement in the WCY at:
https://www.facebook.com/unescobkk?v=wall