YOUTH POLICIES, EMPOWERMENT, EMPLOYMENT DISCUSSED AT LISBON WORLD CONFERENCE
Press Release
SOC/4470
YOUTH POLICIES, EMPOWERMENT, EMPLOYMENT DISCUSSED AT LISBON WORLD CONFERENCE
19980812 (Received from a United Nations Information Officer.)LISBON, 11 August -- The young people in India, which currently numbered 330 million, had been at the forefront of the nation's struggle for freedom and development, the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth was told this morning as it continued its general exchange of views. Among others, the discussion focused on national policies for rural youth, empowerment, education and employment.
Bhaskar Barua, Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs and Sports of India, said youth empowerment was the focus of the nation's new youth policy, with emphasis on gender justice, and the development of information and research networks. Particular attention was placed on the needs of rural youth. Enhancing access for young people to education, employment, health and other services was to afford them better living conditions. In the employment sector, the thrust was on providing opportunities for self-employment, entrepreneurship development and skill training.
Empowering youth would maximize their chance to contribute to a nation's economic, social and cultural advancement, said S.M.K. Soonarane, Minister for Youth and Sports of Mauritius. His Government was developing policies to construct a nation of young achievers. All educational institutions in Mauritius had information technology facilities, while vocational schools focused on primary school drop-outs. Skilled young persons were working to minimize unwanted pregnancies, child prostitution, juvenile delinquency and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
A.S.M. Shahjahan, Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports of Bangladesh, said 90 per cent of the country's approximately 40 million young people lived in rural areas. They were faced with unemployment, illiteracy and malnutrition as they struggled to adapt to rapidly changing technology. The Government was working to foster self-employment activities, to provide training in new technologies, and to allow youth to develop new skills.
Youth policy was sometimes viewed as mere leisure policy, but it was a much larger concept, said Olli Saarela, of the Youth Division, Ministry of
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Education of Finland. It formed a part of the larger social policy which must be tackled together by authorities in different sectors. Finland's youth policy worked to provide a safe environment in which young people could grow into full-fledged citizens and in which they were empowered to develop their skills and talents to the fullest.
The imposition of economic sanctions on Iraq since 1990 had dramatically affected young people's lives, said Abdul-Jabbar Towfik Mohammad, that country's Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research. More than 8,000 schools -- educating 3 million students -- had been destroyed in acts of international aggression. These facilities were difficult to replace, particularly in light of the growing number of students seeking education. Iraqi assets had been frozen and scholarships stopped. Many young people had been forced to leave school or accept work that was not compatible with their fields of specialization. The Conference should call on the United Nations and the governments of the world to lift the sanctions so Iraq could resume its active role in economic, social, scientific and educational development, he said.
Many representatives noted the pressure on governments to identify new ways of addressing the needs of young people in light of changing realities, increased diversity and government limitations. Mexico's Director-General of the Ministry of Public Education, Luis Sanchez Gomez, called for broadeningthe range of actors involved in youth policies. A concept of youth citizenship would alter the approach to young people in society. Youth citizenship meant forming a social individual who could cooperate and act. The courage of youth in support of sustainable development was needed, and the spirit of young people must be released, he said.
Also this morning, ministers from Slovakia, Rwanda, Bahamas, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, South Africa, Russian Federation and Costa Rica addressed the Conference, as did representatives of France, Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Argentina, Australia and Denmark.
Conference Work Programme
The first World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth met again this morning to continue its general exchange of views on implementing the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995 on the tenth anniversary of the International Youth Year.
The Conference, which is being held from 8 to 12 August in Lisbon, brings together governmental representatives to find ways of responding more effectively to the needs of young people. Participants will review efforts to fulfil the World Programme of Action and consider additional measures. They will also appraise progress since the 1985 International Youth Year, as well
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as the relevance of its themes -- participation, development and peace. Also, in discussion on social development, certain priority issues will be highlighted, including education, health, employment, and drug abuse.
The Conference is expected to adopt a declaration by which governments will commit to strengthening policies to benefit youth.
Statements
BHASKAR BARUA, Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, India, said youth comprised 34 per cent -- 330 million -- of his country's population. They had been at the forefront of the struggle for freedom and development.
India's new national youth policy focused on youth empowerment, with emphasis on gender justice, a multi-sectoral approach, and information and research networks. As most people were in villages, particular attention was placed on the needs of rural youth. Special efforts were also made to help those who migrated to urban centres in search of employment and education. Enhancing access for young people to education, employment, health and other services was to afford them better living conditions. Efforts were being made to provide them with ample opportunities to develop their skills, capabilities and personalities.
As part of the empowerment exercise, the minimum voting age had been reduced from 21 to 18, he said. The national education policy covered both formal and non-formal educational programmes. In the employment sector, the thrust was on providing opportunities for self-employment, entrepreneurship development and skill training. Also, small-scale industries, which provided employment to about 16 million persons, were being promoted. An important scheme, for the training of rural youth for self-employment, was being implemented. Young people in India were involved in improving health services for youth. They were working to raise awareness of health issues, including drug abuse and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
OLLI SAARELA, of the Youth Division, Ministry of Education, Finland, said youth policy was sometimes seen as mere leisure policy. But it was a much larger concept. It formed part of the larger entity of social policy, which meant that authorities in the different sectors must tackle youth policy issues together.
One objective of Finland's youth policy was to provide a safe environment in which young people could grow into full-fledged citizens and in which they were empowered to develop their skills and talents to the fullest, he said. Unfortunately, there were young girls and boys in all societies whose existence were marked by an inability to control their own lives. Poverty and a lack of solid relationships often contributed to such
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situations. But, it now appeared that general and equitable measures to improve the living conditions of the young population as a whole were not sufficient to solve such problems. Individual survival skills and tools must be provided to those who find themselves in a predicament. In developing such tools, authorities must heed the opinions and ideas of young people. Equally, society must have access to relevant information about them.
There was every reason to be optimistic about the possibilities of improving young people's lives, if determined action was taken, he said. Finland had had good results in addressing youth health concerns, specifically in the area of preventing teen pregnancies and abortions. During the 1980s, Finland had made a concerted effort to increase sex education and education on human relations in school. An integrated and coordinated youth policy had a fair chance of success when people from different sectors worked together.
ONDREJ NEMCOK, State Secretary, Ministry of Education, Slovakia, said the national youth policy was being developed in accordance with principles approved by the Government in 1992. The basic aim of those principles was to develop collaborative partnerships with young people and support their independence and participation.
The basic objectives of the Ministry's youth department were realized through local and national programmes protecting children and youth, and within the framework of youth organizations, he said. The State provided financial resources for the development of youth-oriented associations and unions, and fostered international collaboration through bilateral agreements and participation in youth programmes of the European Union. It also supported creative use of leisure time, as well as an information system about youth, by which data was gathered and analysed.
The national policy for youth was guided by the underlying principle that working with youth was an opportunity to teach tolerance and constructive dialogue, he said. The Slovak Youth Council and Youth Assembly participated in decision-making in real partnership with State bodies. Only about 8 per cent of young people were organized in youth associations due to past experience, when participation was virtually mandatory. In light of that history, it was encouraging that even a small part of the country's young people were interested in participating in public affairs. The common task of youth organizations and State organs was to support young people's interest in life around them.
S.M.K. SOONARANE, Minister for Youth and Sports, Mauritius, said young people wanted to use their potential to shape a future of promise and were eager to participate in every sphere of human endeavour. Empowering youth would maximize their chance to contribute to nations' economic, social and cultural advancement. The issue of youth should be analysed in light of the challenges and opportunities brought about by globalization and new
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technologies for information and communication. Mauritius' population was relatively young, due largely to improvements in health, economic and social conditions. While the country had a high literacy rate, training was needed to enable young people to contribute fully to national development. Therefore, greater emphasis was being placed on technical and vocational education.
A national youth council had been established to facilitate networking between all youth groups and agencies concerned with the young, he said. The council would also link Government and young people, and facilitate resource mobilization. Also, a consultative process had been initiated with all stakeholders -- including university students and grass-roots youth groups -- to formulate a national youth policy, with technical assistance from the Commonwealth Youth Programme and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Mauritius was developing policies to construct a nation of young achievers, he said. All educational facilities had information technology facilities, while vocational schools focused on primary school drop-outs. Skilled young persons were working to minimize unwanted pregnancies, child prostitution, juvenile delinquency and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. In connection with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Mauritius was making extensive efforts to promote adolescent reproductive and sexual health. In light of the fact that drug dealers and traffickers undermined the work of civil society, the Government had reinforced its national and collaborative efforts to combat drugs. Regarding gender equality, he said girls were encouraged to participate in social, economic and political spheres. Discrimination continued, however, and policies were being developed to redress those imbalances. He hoped the recommendations stemming from the Conference would provide the framework for a new world order for youth in the third millennium.
JAQUES BIHOZAGARA, Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture and Vocational Training, Rwanda, said the international community must be ambitious and design youth policies that constituted real progress. Resources must be mobilized to fulfil the expectations of young people.
Rwanda had gone through a very dark period, losing more than a million of its citizen during the 1994 genocide, he said. Extreme material and human destruction had resulted. In Rwanda today, youth fell into three general groups: those young people who, either willingly or not, had participated in the genocide; those who had survived the genocide and were in need of emotional and material rehabilitation; and those who had supported the acts of genocide. Clearly, it was a difficult effort to bring those groups together. Since 1995, the Government had undertaken a policy of national youth reconciliation.
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The number of street children had increased fivefold since 1994, he said. The Government had set up "drop-in centres" to bring together street children and provide them food, clothing and shelter. His Ministry worked to support the sustained existence of those young people who had dropped out of school or had not had the opportunity to attend school. Job programmes had been put in place to help them. Consciousness-raising had been a theme of the youth policies. Solidarity camps had been established throughout the country to teach patriotic values and practical skills.
ZHIVARGO LAING, Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture, Bahamas, said youth policies must support young people to live full lives now and in the future. Ministers must remember that the stage of youth was but one phase of human development; youth development programmes must run parallel to children's programmes; and a successful youth policy supported a healthy transition to adulthood.
To be successful, youth policy should be built around a comprehensive vision, he said. Clear goals must be set down. Social institutions should work with the Government to achieve those goals and be determined to produce specific results. The local context must be taken into account, while embracing international norms.
His Government's policy for youth focused on their health, safety and economic well-being, he said. While society in the Bahamas generally provided a constructive environment for youth, the national youth policy must be formalized. Increased resources were needed to support youth development. Youth must be included in the decision-making process. There must be effective outreach to youth at risk. A decade from now, the conditions of the world youth must have benefitted from decisions made in Lisbon. Words must be translated into real action.
HASAN JASARI, Deputy Minister for Education and Physical Culture, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, said 16 per cent of his country's 2 million inhabitants were young and faced similar problems as those in other countries in the process of transition. In addressing some specific aspects of his country's youth issues, however, his Government was ready to accept ideas and practical solutions in the international framework and to cooperate internationally. Youth-related issues were addressed in several ministries, including those responsible for education, employment and culture. About 30 national youth associations were united in the Youth Council of Macedonia, which was a member of the European and World Non-Governmental Association of Youth, and an observer at the Youth Forum of the European Union. The Government supported the projects of youth associations.
During the country's recent transitional phase, changes had been made in educational curricula and institutions, he said. Democratization of education was the basic orientation of those reforms, especially regarding equal
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opportunity for enrolment. The Government provided education in minority languages. Further, quotas were used to ensure an increase in the number of minority students enrolled in academic institutions. In less than 10 years, those quotas had led to more than threefold increase in minority enrolment.
While the country's economic problems directly affected young people, new government measures to support employment had yielded positive results, and vocational training for girls and boys was being provided, he said. The persistent dangers of ethnic and other conflicts strongly affected young people. Conflict situations must be overcome for the sake of youth. As a minister, a parent and a human being, he appealed to all participants to provide young people with the chance for a future they deserved.
ESSOP PAHAD, Deputy Minister, Office of the Deputy-President, South Africa, said the monstrous crime of apartheid had devastated and disfigured the lives of millions of youth, not only in South Africa, but in the region as a whole. Dealing with that horrific legacy was a monumental task. Following the first democratic election in 1994, the Government, working with other political and civil society organizations, had endeavoured to develop a comprehensive youth policy. A National Youth Commission had been established, accountable to the Deputy-President and Parliament. It had produced a comprehensive national youth policy, which was endorsed by a wide range of youth organizations. Youth issues had been incorporated into national and provincial budgets, and were reflected in the work of every government department.
The international community could not speak about youth and development, or youth and a bright future, if it did not conduct a sustained and determined struggle against racism, he said. War and violent conflict still raged in all parts of the world. The young were the principal victims. Young women and the girl-child were the main sufferers of rape, kidnapping and other forms ofhumiliation. South Africans expressed solidarity with youth engaged in thetitanic battle for human rights, self-determination, and a world free from war and violent conflict, while unequivocally condemning all forms of terrorism.
One of the most devastating killer diseases in southern Africa was HIV/AIDS, he said. Young people infected with the disease would die without even a memory of being young. South Africa was embarking on a massive AIDS- awareness campaign, targetting both men and women. However, along with its neighbours, it required the assistance of the international community to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. Women must have control over their own bodies, he stressed.
Worldwide, the rich were getting richer and the poor poorer, he said. The plight of hundreds of millions of young people in developing and least developed countries must be addressed. There was need for sustained and
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concentrated efforts to create a new world order in which wealth was shared on a more equitable basis. The twenty-first century should be Africa's century. Humanity began in Africa, and in the twenty-first century Africa should be at the centre of human development. The foundation should be laid for the future generation to say "those who came before us left us a basis on which we can build a better life for all", he said.
LILIAN HALLS, Technical Adviser to the Cabinet of the Minister for Youth and Sports, France, said young people must not be viewed as problems, but as a driving force in society. The number of contacts between the Government and youth groups had been increased at the national and local levels. Based on those contacts, it was clear that young people were ready to take things into their own hands. Young people clearly expressed their solidarity of citizenship and were committed to the search for freedom, justice and equality. The Government had launched initiatives to integrate young people into the labour market, seeking to create 350,000 long-term public jobs.
A youth council had been established to protect the rights of young people, she said. The Council addressed every aspect of life of youth, as well as violence, inequality between genders and social status of youth. The youth of France who had watched the French team win the World Cup had been enthusiastic and united. They had expressed their belief in a national community without borders and exclusions.
A.S.M. SHAHJAHAN, Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Bangladesh, said youth comprised about one third of the 120 million people of Bangladesh. Ninety per cent of the young people lived in rural areas. The key challenges facing rural youth were unemployment, illiteracy, malnutrition and adaptation to rapidly changing technology. To address the issue of unemployment, the Government was working to foster self-employment activities, to provide training in new technologies, and to allow youth to develop new skills. Development training initiatives to support self-employment were being implemented.
Vital to the social development of Bangladesh was the involvement of women in national development, he said. A large segment of youth development policy focused on the development of women and the inclusion of women in national decision-making regarding development. Population and development were interrelated and interdependent issues. To involve youth in population activities, the Government had developed a project, in cooperation with the UNFPA, to increase youth participation in population and family welfare activities. The aim of that project was to increase awareness of young people about the effect of over-population and strategies to curb population growth.
LEE DONG-IK, Ambassador to Portugal, Republic of Korea, said that young people were a major human resource for development, as well as key agents for social change and technological innovation. In recognition of their unlimited
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potential, they should be given greater opportunity to participate in planning and implementing national and international policy. He reaffirmed hisdelegation's unswerving support for the draft Lisbon declaration.
In the past, the Republic of Korea's youth policy had been based on a perception of youth as objects of protection, he said. Such policies had focused on preventing juvenile delinquency and tended to be one-sided. Cognizant of those shortcomings, the Government had revamped its youth policy to become more future-oriented. Based on the recognition that youth were both the protagonists of the future and members of contemporary society, the new youth policy aimed to encourage young people to participate in all sectors of society and realize their potential as driving forces for development. While ensuring the human rights of young people, care was being taken to provide education, which the Government believed would result in tolerance and contribute to world peace.
Conference participants were gathered to provide a new impetus to the redesigning and implementing of youth policies, he said. The draft declaration recognized the value of sharing information and experience across national boundaries, so each country could decide for itself the best way forward. He expressed confidence that the declaration would provide a useful guidance for worldwide implementation of the World Programme of Action. Continued international collaboration was needed.
S.V. GROUSHCHAK, Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Development, Russian Federation, said one of the main tasks of any declaration was its practical implementation. The problems of young people must become an international priority. Great attention was paid to the problems of young people in the Russian Federation. More than 600 federal and regional non- governmental organizations (NGOs) dealt with youth-related issues.
The Department of Youth of his Ministry had developed a project called "Youth of Russia", he said. Its main practical goal was the creation of legal, organizational and economic conditions to ensure the self-realization of the young person and the development of his or her initiatives. Among the programme's objectives, it sought to provide young people with information about their rights, improve living conditions, and support young families and vulnerable social groups.
In the wide range of social and economic problems facing youth, certain matters deserved particular emphasis, he said. Those were access to education and employment, adaption for adult life within ethnic conditions, and integration into the world community. Drugs were a danger to national health and, therefore, a danger to national security. The problem required joint international efforts, and his Government was ready to work with all interested groups on the issue. It was also ready to develop large-scale international cooperation to address the social and economic problems faced by
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young people. He hoped the texts adopted at the Conference would become the basis of practical daily activities.
MARIA CECILIA DOBLES, Vice-Minister for Culture, Youth and Sports, Costa Rica, said youth policies in her country were framed by a new approach to young people which viewed them as individuals with rights and responsibility. Thatapproach meant to overcome the protective approach of the past. The youth Ministry, through its national youth movement, worked to consolidate a global policy for young people. In that way, resources would be pooled to better cater to the needs of young people in Costa Rica.
Policies were designed to ensure that youth were active participants, she said. Education, employment, health, recreation, participation, voluntary work and communication were among priority areas. Cooperation efforts had beenundertaken by governmental and non-governmental organizations. However, the lack of coordination between sectors had not yet been overcome. To incorporate young people into the labour market, a practical training programme had been developed. Health policies focused on adolescents addressed gender equity, and promoted physical and mental health. Also, policies had been in place to promote sex education and prevent drug and alcohol consumption. A national plan to promote solidarity between young people and instil values had also been established.
BOUNPONE BOUTTANAVONG, Secretary-General of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union, Lao People's Democratic Republic, said the Union was established in 1955 in support of the aspirations of the Lao people fighting for sovereignty and independence. Since 1975, the Union had participated in national youth policy formulation. The Union's youth action plan included developing educational systems in support of a fervent spirit of patriotism and love for the new regime. The plan also included the goals of developing young people into pioneers in all fields; upgrading the capacity of Lao youth media; and developing the labour skills while creating jobs for youth. The purpose of youth projects was to develop young people into good citizens, to upgrade the educational and employment systems, and to ensure good health and good morals.
JORGE ZAIN ASIS, Ambassador to Portugal, Argentina, said if even only a small part of the ideals and principles emerging from the Lisbon declaration were translated into action, humanity would benefit. While young people were sometimes identified with noble ideals, in truth, things were more complicated. Young people could be martyrs and victims, but they could also be the victimizers. There was need to prepare and train the decision-makers of the future. Today's youth would have to combat xenophobia, protect nature and combat drug trafficking, among other inherited tasks. To preserve the future, young generations must receive care.
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In Argentina, youth had been at the forefront of combating totalitarianism, he said. Argentina now had a number of policies for youth. It was particularly interested in promoting participation, protecting the weakest groups, and promoting a sense of social commitment. Other actions dealt with preventing the universal plague of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS infection.
Youth policies should not just be relegated to the area of government, he said. Rather, they should involve all social sectors. Given the strategic importance of youth programmes, they should be the result of consensus. Young people should not only benefit from these policies and programmes, but also create and implement them. Programmes could not be imposed; acceptance was a prerequisite for success. Argentina had created a training institute for political leaders, based on stringent academic standards and ideological pluralism. Energy was also being concentrated on linking educational institutions with jobs. Young people had been told they would be given the future, yet, often their present was removed from them. The concerns of young people could not be ignored.
ABDUL-JABBAR TOWFIK MOHAMMAD, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Iraq, said his country dated back more than 6,000 years and was rich in history and resources. Throughout history, Iraqis had played a role in building civilization. The Government had given great attention to youth, as it was aware of their important role in social, economic and cultural development, and recognized the fact that they represented the basis of power and construction. Compulsory education and literacy campaigns had been linked since 1978, while secondary and vocational education were being expanded. Sports in Iraq had been developed to be compatible with youth orientation, while attention had also been paid to young people in the areas of health care, media and arts.
Iraq had been exposed to an unjust aggression and subjected to large- scale sanctions since 1990, he said. These had seriously affected the Iraqi people, particularly its youth. The sanctions had resulted in shortages of food and medicine, the spread of disease, pollution and massive environmental damage. Many were the result of reduced operating capacities, which limited water purification and sanitation and severely reduced the generation of electricity. Job opportunities had become limited, as had opportunities to marry and create a family. Young people had been unable to attend international conferences with other youth representatives. More than 8,000 schools -- educating 3 million students -- had been destroyed in the aggression. Those facilities were difficult to replace, particularly in light of the growing number of students seeking education. Iraqi assets had been frozen in foreign banks and scholarships had been stopped. Severe conditions had forced many young people to leave school or accept work that was not compatible with their specialization.
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All those effects contradicted the spirit of the United Nations Charter, as well as those of humanitarian organizations worldwide, he said. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, stipulated that the enjoyment of culture, education and science was the right of all people. Other international covenants subsequently adopted by the United Nations stressed that all Member States should comply with the Declaration. Iraq had complied with all resolutions issued by the Security Council throughout the last eight years. The Conference should call on the Secretary-General, the Security Council and governments of the world to make a serious effort to lift the sanctions. Iraq should again assume its active role in economic, social, scientific and educational development.
COLIN WALTERS, First Assistant Secretary of the International Section, Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Australia, said his Government was dedicated to creating a community where all young people had access to a world-class education. At all levels of education and training, the Government encouraged the maximum possible diversity and choice for users. Education and training options had been expanded, particularly those connected with the important transition from education and training to employment. In addition, the Government supported a range of activities which promote the achievements of young people and a positive image of youth.
Measures to help unemployed young people find jobs were built on the principle of mutual obligation, he said. In return for financial support from the community, it was fair to expect individuals, while improving their job prospects and their competitiveness in the labour market, to contribute to their local community. The intention was to help young people help themselves.
LUIS I. SANCHEZ GOMEZ, Director-General, Ministry of Public Education, Mexico, said diversity in societies and limitation of governments were some of the pressures forcing societies to find a new way to meet the needs of young people. The public-private link was being redefined; new players in civil society were emerging. Governments must generate integrated policies with the full participation of government agencies.
The range of actors must be strengthened, he continued. The concept of youth citizenship would alter the approach to young people in society. Education must be quality education and give them the tools to participate in society and the labour market. Youth citizenship meant forming a social individual who could cooperate and act. Governments must increase efforts to support the environment. The courage of youth in support of sustainable development was needed. The spirit of young people must be released.
Youth policies must be built on a deep knowledge of the ever-changing nature of the youth population, he said. Only with proper data would efforts be successful. The role of the mass media must not be ignored. The mass
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media should shoulder some responsibility in regard to transmitting images that supported diversity and other values. Positive images of young people must be shown.
JAKOB WENDELL, Head of Division, Ministry of Education, Denmark, said that his country's youth policy was based on the belief that all young people should be able to enjoy the possibilities of an eventful youth which qualified them for an independent and diversified life as active contributors to the development of society.
National youth policy addressed 10 major objectives, including development of personal responsibility, education for all young people and full employment for young people, he said. To attain those objective, a range of initiatives were being undertaken. In Denmark, 17 local municipalities had been selected to participate in a project to implement those initiatives which would run for three years. The aim was to allow municipalities to test and develop a whole range of innovative ways to realize the objectives of the youth policy.
Much attention was also given to the disadvantaged and the marginalized youth, he said. Efforts were undertaken to offer them a range of possibilities. They were offered support in developing their potential and in discovering their own personal strengths.
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