Pretoria — More than 100 youth delegates will attend a three-day National Youth Summit ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) later this year.

The summit, that kicks off in Johannesburg this afternoon, aims to mobilise and empower young people on the concept and practice of sustainable development and to ensure active youth involvement and participation in the debates and processes leading up to and after the WSSD.

National Youth Commission (NYC) spokesperson Monde Mkalipi said the youth gathering aims to come up with plans to ensure that the youth take advantage of economic opportunities that will arise from the gathering.

'We also need to ensure that the Summit leaves a legacy of sustainable development for the current and future generations.' He said it was important that South Africa work with other African countries to come up with a common view on sustainable development.

The Youth Summit forms part of events in the build up towards the WSSD that will be held in Johannesburg at the end of August this year.

The WSSD will attract more than 65 000 delegates to South Africa and contribute more than R1-billion to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

It's been co-ordinated by South Africa's youth organizations: the National Youth Commission, Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the Johannesburg City Metropolitan.

Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad will open the summit, while environmental affairs and tourism minister Vali Moosa will deliver the keynote address tomorrow.(ADF3)