The International Youth Conference 2014(World Youth Conference 2014 #WYC2014) will be held in Sri Lanka from 6th to 10th May 2014.
The inaugural function of this international forum will be held at the Magam Ruhunupura International Conference Hall in Hambanthota on the 7th of May under the patronage of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse. More than 1500 youth representatives from 196 countries will attend this conference.
This is the 1st time that a youth conference of this magnitude is being held in an Asian country. 152 youth from Sri Lanka will participate in this conference. Minister Dallas Alahapperuma and parliamentarian Namal Rajapakse will function as the co-chairmen of this conference.
The underlying theme of WCY 2014 is ‘Mainstreaming Youth in the Post 2015 Development Agenda’.
The conference will bring together youths from the world over with a special focus on underrepresented youths with a gender and regional balance. In total, 1,500 youths will be selected representing different countries with young people from groups identified as unrepresented or underrepresented.
All expenses of youth representatives selected to attend the conference will be borne by the organizers. WCY 2014 will also bring representatives of member states including Ministers of Youth, UN officials, representatives of other international and regional organizations, academics, corporate leaders and other relevant stakeholders to Colombo.
WCY 2014 will facilitate a process that strengthens effective youth participation in the planning, implementation and evaluation of post 2015 development agenda, which refers to the process of defining the future global development framework that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals.
The Conference will also create an inclusive platform for youths that enable them to review the progress of MDGs, share ideas, experiences and innovative approaches for effectively contributing to the post MDG framework and its implementation.
The conference will be organized by an International Youth Task Force (IYTF) in collaboration with the National Task Force appointed by the Youth Affairs and Skills Development Ministry.
The IYTF comprises 20 youths where 10 of whom are young leaders from around the world representing established international youth-led and youth serving organizations and 10 young leaders from Sri Lanka.
The IYTF which convened in Colombo for its second meeting has finalized the thematic areas of WCY 2014 and discussed matters pertaining to conference logistics and the participation of young people.
The members of the IYTF also hosted a discussion with officials from the United Nations Country Team in Colombo and explored ways of collaborating further with the UN system.
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