Monrovia — Liberia on Friday, August 12, 2022, joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Youth Day in Monrovia.
The day which brought hundreds of youths together was celebrated by the Ministry of Youth & Sports in collaboration with its partners at the Monrovia City Hall in Sinkor, under the theme: 'Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for all Ages.'
The first International Youth Day was celebrated on August 12, 2000; the day was designated by the United Nations in 1999.
International Youth Day is observed on August 12 of each year. The day was established on the recommendation of the World Conference of Ministers, which aims at coming up with solutions for the issues faced by youth.
Speaking at the official program marking the observance of International Youth Day Youth and Sports, minister D. Zeogar Wilson, said "today is the 12 of August which is set aside to celebrate Young People around the world from different backgrounds; it's a day of awareness designated by the United Nations."
"The main purpose of this day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth and we are so glad that Liberia is up to speed with conventional protocols," he said.
The Youth and Sports Minister added that the government of Liberia under the leadership of President George M. Weah has taken several steps against ageism & has encouraged extraordinary inclusion of young people as policymakers of today.
He said, "Today we can boast of lots of young people as Assistant and Deputy Ministers in different sectors of government and we are so proud of their contributions to national development and the support of the Pro-poor agenda for prosperity & development. We're also glad that today our great panelist's discussion will be around four important topics: Youth, Election, Violence, Peace & Social Cohesion".
Minster Wilson used the program to call on Liberian youths to be instruments of change in shifting the direction of the country in a positive way.
"Let me appreciate all of you our team at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, our one UN system, especially our strategic partners UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, UN-Volunteers, UNIDO, and to all our wonderful youth led & youth focus organizations here with us today. I would like to say in this manner, happy International Youth Day & congratulations," Minister Wilson said.
For her part, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) Country Representative Bidisha Pillai, urged Liberians youth to be sober and claim their space on the global market.
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According to the UNFPA Country Representative, Liberia is one of the underdeveloped nations due to 14 years of civil crisis and added that the transformation of the country depends on the young people.
She disclosed that the world population is around 8 billion youth constitutes 40% of the population.
Madam Pillai is, therefore, urging Liberian youth to make a high mark among global youth to put Liberia on the map.
"Let the world say wow the young people in Liberia are driving change in their country because young people play a major role in development, they have the ability, passions, ideas, efforts, and energies to transform the country," she added.
She said it is proven that the young people of Liberia are facing barriers in several areas including education, political participation, skills, health, and more. And cautioned all youth to work diligently to close the gap.
She said, the United Nations have designed a plan for the development of global youth. Reaffirming the that United Nations will continue to provide opportunities to Liberians youth to close the gap
International Youth Day emphasizes the rights of young people to have access to education, employment, healthcare, monetary services, and participation in public life. This is especially significant as several young people across the world are struggling with issues related to physical or mental health, education, and employment.
