World Youth Forum 2018's full agenda announced

CAIRO – 15 October 2018: Under the auspices of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the main resort city on the Red Sea, Sharm El-Sheikh, will host the World Youth Forum (WYF) from November 2-6.

Nearly 20 days before the opening session, the WYF official website published the expected agenda including all pre-workshops, discussion panels and round table sessions.

The second annual edition of the WYF will tackle two main axes: peace and development. The forum will bring together more than 3,000 youths represented by 60 delegations from across the world to explore key issues facing their generation, and determine their role in implementing the global development goals and in facing terrorism.

The first axis will discuss reconstructing post-conflict countries and societies, the role of world leaders in achieving peace, the duty of the international community to provide humanitarian assistance and counter-terrorism, and the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

The axis of development will include topics related to energy and water security, empowerment of people with disabilities, the role of voluntary work in building societies, the agenda of 2063 African Sustainable Development, digital citizenship, the role of art and cinema in shaping communities, ways to build future leaders, and means of shrinking the gender gap in the work force.

An Arab-African Summit Simulation Model will be held on the sidelines of the forum, as was recommended during the African Union Simulation Model held in May 2018 as part of the activation of the 2017 World Youth Forum's recommendations.
The first edition of the World Youth Forum was launched from Nov. 4-10, 2017 in Sharm El-Sheikh. It was attended by 3,200 participants from 113 countries. The forum was a platform for 222 speakers from 64 countries with expertise in various fields, gathered in 46 sessions.

In the 2017 edition, the participating leaders and experts discussed various international and regional issues, including crises of migration and refugees, democracy and human rights, African stability and development, and globalization and cultural identity, as well as technology and social media and their impact on the population.

In July 2017, the president announced organizing, for the first time, the WYF in Sharm El-Sheikh during the fourth National Youth Conference in Alexandria.

The WYF 2018 agenda

According to the agenda of the World Youth Forum, on Nov. 1 and 2, the forum will witness pre-workshops related to the "agenda 2063: The Africa We Want" and "Empowering Persons with Disabilities: Towards a More Integrated World."

The opening of the World Youth Theater will take place on Friday, Nov. 2, while the opening ceremony will be 24 hours later on Saturday, Nov. 3.
The actual discussion sessions are planned to start on November 4, where participants will discuss a number of issues, including differences among cultures and civilizations, the role of world leaders in building and sustaining peace, the role of soft power in countering ideological extremism and terrorism, and Day Zero: Water security in the wake of climate change.


World Youth Forum Agenda- Photo credit WYF official website

On November 5, the sessions will tackle the role of entrepreneurs and start-ups in global economic growth, rebuilding societies and states after conflicts, narrowing the gender gap in the labor market and humanitarian assistance: A global responsibility in the face of challenges.

The forum's closing session and the announcement of the recommendations of the World Youth Forum 2018 will take place on Nov. 6.