DOHA: The Global Youth Consultation (GYC) for World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) is to provide voice to Qatari youth on global stage and inspire them to get involved in international humanitarian issues.
The two-day meet Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) is hosting next week will gather 303 humanitarian youth activists from 82 countries, including 69 from Qatar, 35 of whom are Qataris.
“ROTA aims to inspire greater action and involvement of Qatar-based youth in humanitarian issues, expose them to major global humanitarian issues and suggest best possible ways to take actions; and encourage ROTA’s Youth Advisory Taskforce to engage, advocate and contribute to the youth declaration on humanitarian issues,” said Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai.
Over 1,000 youth aged 18-30 have been screened via online application to be delegates.
“In the selection, we were keen to have youth that represent Qatar, so we have around 70 Qatar-based participants, 35 of whom are Qataris,” Rota Community Development Manager Abdulla Al Bakri told a press conference yesterday.
The event on September 1 and 2 at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Student Centre at Education City will highlight 12 high-profile international and local speakers who will facilitate discussions on four crucial topics — humanitarian effectiveness; serving the needs of people in conflict; transformation through innovation; and reducing vulnerability and managing risks.
“In selecting the topics, we were keen to have topics that cover the biggest part of geographic distribution of youth. For instance, the topic ‘Fulfilling the needs of groups affected by political and non-political conflicts and disasters’ is an international issue that does not cover any one particular region,” said Al Bakri.
The event will feature plenary speakers, breakout discussions, voting, engagement meetings with remote participants, skills-building sessions, and an exhibition.
The first-of-its-kind event will allow views of young people from around the world to be incorporated into UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s report, as well as overall recommendations ahead of WHS in Istanbul, Turkey, next year.
“We are proud to be chosen by the UN to host such an event, where youth from all over the world will come to Doha to have their voices heard on global humanitarian issues to create a better future,” Al Mannai said and thanked sponsors and partner organisations.
Representatives of six Qatari entities which sponsor GYC also addressed the press conference. They are Qatar National Bank, Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, Nakilat, Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF), and United Muslim Relief.
The Peninsula
