Representatives from More than 80 Countries Participate in YES Alex 2007 at the BA
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Alexandria—
YES Alexandria 2007 (August 26 - 30, 2007) was inaugurated yesterday with the attendance of Dr. Ismail Seragedlin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, Dr. Ali Eldin Helal, former Minister of Youth and Sports, Poonam Ahluwalia, President of YES Inc., Haythem Kamel, YES Egypt Coordinator, and more than 150 experts from 80 countries.
Dr. Ismail Serageldin stated in his opening speech that YES Campaign in September 2002 was the first event held in the BA after its formal inauguration, which held a significant connotation; the BA believes in empowering youth and giving them opportunities for a better future.
Dr. Serageldin added that youth are the builders of the future and the reason behind the progress and prosperity of their nations, referring to the fact that the average of the ages of BA personnel (1800 employees) is 29 years old.
He emphasized that the objective of YES is not only giving more job opportunities to youth, but also helping youth develop themselves and their societies, and allowing them to determine their destinies and create a better tomorrow.
From her side, Poonam Ahluwalia praised the efforts of Dr. Seragedlin to make YES a success, stating the Dr. Serageldin was a source of inspiration for all of YES coordinators, and if it were not for his support, they would not have achieved such success.
Mrs. Ahluwalia also expressed her gratitude to Dr. Ali Eldin Helal, who played a crucial role in the success of YES in September 2002, when he was the Minister of Youth and Sports.
The delegation of Azerbaijan, the hosting country of YES 2008, and the delegation of the Republic of Panama donated memorial gifts to Dr. Ismail Sergeldin for the time and effort he exerted to support YES in general, and to empower youth in specific.
Dr. Ali Eldin Helal stated that, after the passage of five years since the launch of YES campaign from the BA, many objectives have been realized and many ideas have been implemented.
He added that from among all the conferences in which he had participated, and the initiatives he had taken to give more opportunities to youth and to empower them to develop their nations, YES was the most valued initiative to him for its slogan,which can be summed up as "from youth, by them, and for them".
It is worth mentioning that in September 2002, under the co-chairmanship of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, 1600 delegates including 1000 youth from 120 countries launched the decade long YES Campaign, which will continue until 2012 to provide millions of job opportunities to youth and help them develop themselves and their societies.