Friday, 25 April 2014 02:17
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147 countries confirmed, 1,500 delegates expected
Govt. dismisses any effect from pending UN probe, says high participation proves int’l confidence in Sri Lanka
By Uditha Jayasinghe
Undeterred by a pending UN probe, Sri Lanka is getting ready to host the World Conference on Youth (WCY) that will see the presence of dozens of UN officials including the UN General Assembly President.
Organisers yesterday dismissed any non-attendance by UN members, insisting that the tally of 147 countries sufficiently proved that the world in general was not perturbed by the pending UN investigation into alleged human right infringements in Sri Lanka. “Not all UN countries have confirmed participation,” admitted Youth Affairs Ministry Monitoring MP Mohan Lal Grero, but quickly pointed out that greater participation was expected at this conference than any other. Moreover this will be the first time Asia is posting the WCY.
The confirmed list of invitees include senior ministers and senior government officials from over 40 countries, national youth delegates representing 147 states and over 300 youth delegates representing various civil society movements.
Furthermore, the President of the United Nations General Assembly Dr. John William Ashe, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi and several other heads of the United Nations Agencies have confirmed their participation at WCY 2014. In addition, 23 top officials of UN organisations will also be in attendance.
the World Conference on Youth (WCY) 2014 will take place from 6 to 9 May in Colombo. The theme of WCY 2014 is ‘Mainstreaming Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda’.
“The conference is expected to bring together 1,500 participants, half of them young people aged 18 to 29, and 350 of them will come from marginalised backgrounds, making the conference one of the most well-represented youth events at global level,” WCY Spokesman Lalith Perera told reporters.
Having higher participation than the last WCY in Mexico in 2010 organisers hope that the event will provide the platform for an agreement between youth organisations and Government policymakers that will be used to give young people space in the post-2015 global development.
The WCY is also closely linked to the Commonwealth of which President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the Chairman.
The Government will provide half the cost of the Rs. 500 million bill, Grero noted, while a variety of sponsors will pay the remaining Rs. 250 million.
Most delegates will arrive on 5 May and will participate in a cultural show. The following day they will be taken to Hambantota for the opening ceremony. Sessions will be held at the BMICH along with the closing ceremony on 9 May.
