International Youth Day (12/08)

International Youth Day is celebrated annually on August 12 to remind young people of the role of young people in development and building peace and the daily challenges that stand in their way.

It was established by the UN General Assembly on December 17, 1999 (resolution 54/120) at the proposal of the World Conference of Ministers of Youth, held in Lisbon on August 8—12, 1998. The first time International Youth Day was celebrated was on August 12, 2000.

The Conference recommended that awareness-raising activities be organized in support of the Day to raise awareness, especially among young people, of the World Program of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, adopted by the Assembly in 1995.

Today there are a record number of young people in the world — half the world's population — are people aged 30 years and younger, and this figure is expected to reach 57% by the end of 2030%. The World Youth Report, published in 2020, estimates that the number of young people aged 15 to 24 is 1.21 billion, corresponding to 15.5% of the global population. According to forecasts, by 2030 this youth cohort will reach 1.29 billion people (15.1% of the total population of the Earth), and by 2050 – almost 1.34 billion people (13.8% of the total population of the planet).

However, one in ten children is in conflict, more than half a billion are in poverty, and 24 million of them do not go to school. Every day about 30 thousand children die from poverty. Every day, 7 thousand young people become infected with HIV.

While youth make up one quarter of the world's workforce, they account for half of the unemployed. Labour markets have difficulty in securing stable employment with good prospects for young people, except for the highly skilled.

Political instability, labour market volatility, as well as a limited field for involving young people in political and social life, are leading to increasing exclusion of young people.

The UN Secretary-General called on the international community to recognize the interdependence of generations and solve problems of different ages together, increasing the level of awareness of young people about existing problems, risks and ways to solve them.

Every year, events dedicated to Youth Day (including various concerts, exhibitions, conferences, seminars, flash mobs, webinars, etc.) are held under a certain motto. Thus, the themes of the Day over the years were: «Now and in the interests of the future: youth activities for sustainable development», «Youth in a society based on intergenerational interaction», «Joint fight against poverty: youth and poverty eradication», «Youth and climate change: time to act», «Youth migration — progress towards development», «Youth and mental health», «Youth and civic engagement», «Youth Build the World», «Safe Platforms for Youth», «Comprehensive Education», «Involving Youth in Global Action», «Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for People's Health and the Planet», «Generational Solidarity: Creating a World for People of All Ages», «Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World» and others.

Also, every year many countries also celebrate World Youth Day and their own Youth Days, for which each state has set its own dates. In Russia, — is the last Saturday of June.



Postcard «August 12 — International Youth Day»

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