WYF promotes peace, acceptance of others: presidency spox

CAIRO – 4 November 2018: The second edition of the World Youth Forum (WYF) has been a success and it broadcasts multiple messages to the world, Presidency spokesman Bassam Radi said.

In an interview with Extra News, Radi said that this edition is considered an extension to the previous successful youth conferences, adding that it sends messages of various values, including peace, peaceful coexistence and acceptance of others, expertise exchange and openness to different cultures.

Youth is the "locomotive" of development and efforts, and the source of ideas and production, Radi said, adding that they are the calibers set to lead the world.

It was announced that 122,000 youth aged from 18 to 40 registered online to participate in the forum, 13,000 of which registered to participate as speakers. Also, 5,000 artists registered to participate in the forum's theater.

The forum also decided to host 5,000 youth from 145 countries to participate in this year's forum, compared to 3,000 participants last year.

The WYF, in its second annual version, attended by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, will tackle two main axes: peace and development.

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, counter-terrorism issues, and Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.

The theme of the 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 the means of shrinking the gender gap in the work force.