Sisi: Egypt to continue backing youths to attain their aspirations

13 / 08 / 2020

By Marwa Nassar - -

President Abdel Fatah El Sisi stressed on the International Youth Day on August 12 that the state is deeply interested in supporting youths to realize their aspirations.

On his social media page, the president said “On the International Youth Day, I voice deep appreciation of the promising Egyptian youths.”

The president said it is youths who drive their country in its sacred battle to achieve more development and overcome any challenges.

Sisi said Egypt has always been keen to back youths to realize their dreams.

Sisi’s keenness on promoting youths and standing on the challenges besetting them has been manifested in organizing an annual youth forum – The World Youth Forum. Three editions of this forum has been held since 2017.

Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi said the Egyptian government is seeking to get youths to be more involved in social issues with full support of the political leadership.

He noted that many conferences have been held to give voice to youths in order to get them to vigorously contribute to handling social issues.

He added that youths have launched several initiatives and innovative solutions to beef up state efforts to confront the coronavirus at the health, social and economic levels.

He noted that the ministry is gearing up to launch a platform for all-out youth activities “Kayani” soon with an aim to serve Egyptian youths and further encourage them to join hands with the state.

United Nations marks the International Youth Day in Egypt:

The United Nations in Egypt has organized an International Youth Day Event in collaboration with its different agencies which work closely with the Government of Egypt, in particular the Ministry of Youth and Sports on youth initiatives.

Germaine Hadad, Assistant Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Representative from the Youth Task Force of the United Nations in Egypt, said the world celebrates International Youth Day which recognizes the potential of 1.2 billion young people worldwide and their role as active participants, contributors and agents of change to achieve sustainable development, peace and security at local, national and global level.

This year, the International Youth Day was held under the theme of “Youth Engagement for Global Action” to set out a call to young people to engage in global action for the public good

“It is a call to all of us to let young people be part of our collective decision making processes and to place trust in them both young women and men and their capacities to lead the future,” Haddad said.

This year the International Youth Day took place during an unprecedented global health crisis, COVID-19, the first pandemic that the world is experiencing since more than 100 years.

COVID-19 has already had an enormous effect on everybody’s life worldwide, and “we reflect today on the impact of COVID-19 on young people and their blossoming young lives and livelihoods,” she said.

“Many young people have lost their lives due to COVID-19, especially in emergencies, conflict and post-conflict-settings. Many young people have seen family members and other loved ones perish and suffering from COVID-19. Schools and universities have been closed and students had to continue their learning from home or elsewhere as well as they could without knowing what the future holds.”

“Unemployment, already high among youth worldwide, has been further exacerbated by COVID-19 and economic betterment still seems far. Especially, young women and girls have been more exposed to harmful practices and violence. Violence and crime coupled with uncertainty and socio-economic hardship cause and perpetuate stress and anxiety about the future,” she added.

“However, we all know and admire the great potential of young people, their passion, energy and knowledge to build and rebuild their future and societies. Young people can and do play a key role in managing the pandemic recovering from it and building back better for more inclusive and fair societies.”

“Young people worldwide have proven to be great champions for global causes…Youth participation is key to all our development challenges – in terms of views, words, action and engagement in policies. The Global Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 will not be achieved without you, the young people,” she underlined.