United Nations Population Fund Marks International Youth Day in Georgia
Every year, on 12th of August, youth is placed in the center of public attention. The International Youth Day is an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners and key agents for change. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges and hardships facing the world’s youth, and celebrate the actions they take around the world to improve their well-being and that of their communities. This year, the main theme of the day was “Youth Civic Engagement,” to commemorate the importance of youth civic activism for sustainable development.
As the part of the worldwide celebration, UNFPA Georgia Country Office organized an amateur version of the intellectual game “What? Where? When?”. They invited more than 50 young participants to compete in answering questions from various fields- including the representatives of different NGOs and initiative groups active in youth-related issues such as healthcare, social protection, education, employment, development and civic engagement. At the end of the intellectual game, members of the winner teams were awarded gifts and certificates by the UNFPA Georgia Country Office.
“The event was great. We were happy to have the opportunity to demonstrate our knowledge and get awarded for it. We found the questions interesting and challenging and the prizes were also very attractive. I hope there are more such events in the future, so that we can participate and engage more,” said Giorgi Mikeladze 24, member of the winning team.
UNFPA is the leading UN Agency that advances the rights and opportunities of young people. UNFPA’s efforts to promote youth leadership and participation enable young people to develop the skills, knowledge and support needed to make informed decisions about their bodies, lives, families, communities, countries and the world. UNFPA has been supporting the government in development of the National Youth Policy and the Action Plan in Georgia, which aims at establishing an enabling environment for the comprehensive development of youth to fully realize their potential.
“Young people are driving change towards a better future in the world. Unfortunately, there still exist barriers precluding their full development and participation. Even today, adolescent girls are often burdened by child marriage, sexual violence and unplanned pregnancies, preventing their development and full participation. It is impossible to achieve country’s sustainable development without investing in power of youth, their education and health, and enhanced civic engagement, as well as without creating equal opportunities for all adolescents and young people for development of their full potential. This can be only achieved by multi-sectoral approach in partnership with young people”, - Lela Bakradze, Assistant Representative at UNFPA Georgia Country Office.
The history of the International Youth Day dates back to 1999, when the United Nations General Assembly declared 12 August International Youth Day.“I am calling on young people to speak out – and I am urging leaders to listen,” – for International Youth Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon applauded young people’s activities and fresh ideas in finding solutions to global challenges.
The event in Tbilisi was organized with the support of the UNFPA Georgia Country Office by the Youth Initiative Group established within the Advocacy Campaign “Youth Voice”, which is a regional initiative taking place in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, aiming to ensure a broad consultation and coordination with the young people in the region and their full participation in the ongoing discussion around the post-2015 development framework.