Youth
- young people aged 15 to 24 -- make up nearly one-third of the world's population.
Youth are directly affected by social, economic and political developments around
the world. But in many countries, youth are not allowed to be involved in the
decisions that shape their societies.
The
United Nations declared 1985 as International Youth Year to highlight the important
role that youth play in our world and their great potential to help make the world
a better place.
Ten
years later, the United Nations adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth
to the Year 2000 and Beyond, an international strategy designed to address many
of the problems youth around the world face, and to help increase their opportunities
to participate in the life of their societies. This blueprint for action covers
ten important areas: education, employment, hunger, poverty, the environment,
drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, leisure-time activities, girls and young women,
and the full and effective participation of youth in the life of society and in
decision-making.
The
United Nations declared August 12 International Youth Day, as an annual opportunity
to raise awareness about the important contribution youth make and to highlight
the goals of the World Programme of Action.
| "Young
people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered,
they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on
society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young
people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies."
-- Kofi Annan |
