United Nation commemorates this year’s International youth day with a Podcast

Aastha Gupta.
International Youth Day was designated by the United Nations (UN) in the year 1999, in an attempt to raise awareness regarding the cultural and legal issue concerning youth. The first International youth day was observed on 12 August 2000 and has been observed annually ever since. In 1999, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made the ‘World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth’, and subsequently International Youth Day came to be celebrated annually after that.

The significance of this day is to highlight the importance of young people, not just as a future generation, but also in current times as a contemporary driving force of change in the world and also give youth an opportunity to celebrate their voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement. Various activities like youth parliament, workshops, cultural events and meetings are organised to engage the youth and in order to bring their voices, actions, and initiatives to the conventional.

This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the United nation is commemorating International youth day with a podcast-style discussion that will be hosted by the youth for the youth, together with independently organized commemorations around the world that recognize the importance of youth participation in political, economic and social life and processes.

Each year, the observance of International Youth Day is marked with a theme, relevant to the times. The theme for 2020 is ‘Youth Engagement for Global Action’, and this has never been more significant, than during the current situation. The theme seeks to throw light on “the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes.” It highlights the importance of the influence that youth can have over where the future is headed and how their political and social involvement can aid in creating better, more sustainable policies for the world as a whole.

In observance of the day, the United Nations has also launched a social media campaign, #31DaysOfYouth, that is celebrating young people all throughout the month of August, leading up to and following International Youth Day. It is meant to spread awareness and initiate conversations surrounding ‘Youth Engagement for Global Action’.