The BA Participates in the Fourth Global Youth Employment Summit (YES) in Azerbaijan
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Alexandria—
HE Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt, and Chair of the BA Board of Trustees; and Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria; along with delegation from the Library of Alexandria, are participating in the Fourth Global Youth Employment Summit (YES) which is held in Baku, Azerbaijan, 24-27 September 2008.
Mrs. Mubarak inaugurated the Summit, attended by 500 participants from 70 countries, and gave an address, in which she stressed the need to strengthen the role of youth within their communities, and encourage their contributions to the development process. Mrs. Mubarak also emphasized the role of youth in achieving sustainable development as they represent the development driving force. At the end of her address, HE Mrs. Mubarak urged young peoples to consider a clear short and long term vision to enhance their capabilities and develop their skills.
Mr. Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan Minister of Youth and Sports, praised the initiative taken by HE Mrs. Mubarak and Former U.S. President Bill Clinton to establish the Youth Employment Summit, stemming from their strong belief in the crucial role of youth in development. Mr. Rahimov wished the Summit all success in formulating new and sound strategies and action plans for youth, and providing equal opportunities to improve youth livelihoods.
HE Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, First Lady of Azerbaijan and President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, welcomed the participants and wished the Summit success.
In the Summit’s opening session, Dr. Serageldin expressed his delight to participate in the Summit, which is one of the main pillars to highlight the role of youth in development, and added that the YES campaign was launched from the Library of Alexandria in 2002, where it focused on three basic themes: Policy, Partnership, and Programs.
Dr. Serageldin mentioned the changes brought about by globalization in the societies, and pointed out to the need to educate young people to cope with the outside world and catch up with the pace of progress. He gave examples of young people, who began their careers at a young age and ten became great scholars and intellectuals, including: Einstein, Newton and James Watson.
It is worth mentioning that the Fourth Global Youth Employment Summit (YES) is a continuation of a series of conferences, the first of which was held at the BA in Alexandria 2002, followed by YES Mexico 2004, and YES Kenya 2006.