Abuja — The Federal Ministry of Youth and Social Development has been invited to Mexico for the next year's World Youth Conference which is taking place in August, 2010.

The Mexican Ambassador to Nigeria, Luis Alberto Stahl, stated this when he paid the minister of the ministry a courtesy call in his office recently.

The ambassador, who was accompanied by the head of their mission, Miguel Guenon, also said that their visit was very dynamic because they want to put Mexico in Nigerians mind.

According to him, "the youth problems is one of the main focus of the country, it is one of the Millennium Development Goals.

We will like to collaborate with you in all this things. Next year, Mexico will celebrate two very important events, the country's 200 years of independence and a 100 years of Mexican revolution.

"In this frame work, the government is trying to invite other countries to share with us without any differences and we are also staging the World Youth Conference."

He further stated that the Mexican government acknowledges that the development of nations depended largely on the opportunities provided for the youth population and the strengthening capacity to exploit them to a timely appropriate fashion. This, he said, encourages their development efforts and has led to singular attention to the youth.

"Five years from the dateline set by the international community on youth to achieve development goals, Mexico is organising the World Youths Conference to facilitate and discuss the problems of the youths, ways to achieve them and set goals that will be achieved in 2015.

"We consider Nigerian presence in the conference very important, the organising committee will meet in Mexico in 32 days for the first phase of the planning. We will like to have the presence of Nigeria to the opening of this committee meeting. Your Ambassador in New Mexico will attend the conference; we are trying to put in policies that will be in favour of the youth."

On the aim of the conference, the Ambassador said, "the conference is an opportunity for the youths of different nations to meet together, exchange ideas, and vision in order to solve the myriad of problems."

While applauding Nigerian government efforts in the area of youth development and the laudable achievement gained since the coming of President Umaru Yar'Adua, he also revealed plans made by his government to start an exchange programme that will see Mexican youths and their Nigerian counterpart exchange visits.