• Tuesday, July 26, 2011
• Inter Press Service

Speaking at the two-day high level meeting on youth, the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr Babatunde Osotimehin said that 'young people deserve our immediate and unwavering support.'

'Every young person needs education, including sexuality education, and access to health services, including reproductive health. Now is the time to invest in young people and open space for their participation to build a better future for all,' he said during the opening day of the youth summit.

More than a quarter of the world’s population—around 1.8 billion people—are between the ages of 10 and 24. About half of them live on less than $2 a day, more than 100 million do not attend school, and 16 million teenage girls become mothers every year.

UNFPA is urging world leaders to include young people’s visions in their policies, promote their human rights and development needs, and ensure their participation in decisions affecting them.

The Fund is organizing and participating in several events during the meeting that will conclude 26 July under the theme, Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding.

In addition, UNFPA has facilitated the participation of four young activists who are making a difference in their communities and countries: Amadou Moctar Diallo, a 24-year- old from Senegal who is using social media to advocate on West Africa’s social and political issues; Leila Yasmin Mucarsael, a 24-year-old civil society organizer from Argentina; Aniyamuzaala James Rwampigi, a hearing-impaired social development expert from Uganda who works on disability and youth rights and Wissam M. Samhat, a 23-year- old from Lebanon who has promotes youth issues at regional and international events.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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