NEW YORK, JULY 22 2011 // The world’s largest youth-led organizations gather in New York this weekend, before the UN High Level Meeting on Youth kicks off Monday.
Human Rights, restrictions on global mobility for youth and the youth perspective on the development agenda are important agenda items as The International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations gathers 22 of the world’s leading youth organizations in New York from July 23rd till July 27th.
UN High Level Meeting on Youth
The NGO representatives will also participate in the UN High Level Meeting on Youth, which will gather ministers responsible for youth and other important actors to further strengthen their efforts in the global youth agenda.
– Our organizations empower young people, because we believe in youth and we exist for them. Nothing about youth should be done without the participation of young people, says Mr. Romulo Dantas from the World Alliance of YMCAs.
The young Brazilian will address the UN Secretary General and other excellencies on behalf of civil society during the opening of the High Level Meeting Monday morning.
Young people suffer from the financial crisis
Mr. Dantas and the other youth representatives present are impatient: The meeting convenes at a point in history where about half of the worlds 1,8 billion youth survive on less than $2 a day and young people are 2-3 times as likely to be unemployed as the adult population.
Sri Lanka makes it possible
The 2011 edition of ICMYO is kindly hosted by the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations.
– Involvement of civil society is very important for Sri Lanka, says Dr Palitha Kohona, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations.
Hon. Dullas Allahapperuma, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Youth Affairs and Skills Development, will officially open the ICMYO meeting Saturday July 23rd at noon. The opening will be open for the press.
Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Metropolitan, 569 Lexington Avenue
Contact information: For individual interviews or more information, please contact Mr Christoffer Grønstad, mobile: +47 901 18 286, e-mail: christoffer.gronstad@lnu.no
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