In December 2019, I had an incredible opportunity to attend the third edition of World Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh, the city of 'peace' in beautiful Egypt where I represented Myanmar and join over 7,000 youth from 164 countries. The World Youth Forum has been held in Egypt since 2017 on an annual basis. Among a number of international conferences I have attended, this is one of the most engaging and professionally organized platforms for youth leaders.
I had the pleasure to be at the forum with the tremendous support of organizers and hospitality of Egyptian people from the day I arrived till I left. The forum allowed us to freely exchange our perspectives on the global issues around peace, creativity, and development. We were able to inspire each other's experiences and present our fresh ideas and solutions through intensive workshops by engaging with the world's top policymakers and influential figures. This is certainly an effective platform that endorses youth ideas on specific topics such as women empowerment, environmental challenges, artificial intelligence, food security, industrial revolution, etc.
I was invited to attend one of the pre-forum workshops "The Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Future of Youth Skills". The workshop was led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). During the workshop, I had an interactive discussion with my fellow colleagues on six future industrial skills, i.e. autonomous machines and systems, additive manufacturing, human-machine integration, virtual and augmented reality, stem, and the internet of things. We also got to learn how today's industrial revolution transformed the way we produce products by means of digitization and manufacturing, and how autonomous systems fueled by data and machine learning as further enhancements. I was inspired by what the Director-General of UNIDO, Li Yong said, "When young people participate and are included, economic and industrial development processes are much more likely to be sustainable.” What a motivating remark for youth!
During the forum, we also had a chance to hear several inspirational stories from public figures and motivational speakers such as Lizzie Velásquez, Jessica Cox who becomes the world's first armless pilot, Zein Youssef, a four-time cancer fighter who is only 12-year-old, Sophia, one of the most sophisticated social humanoid robots, and many others. The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi himself engaged with youth throughout the 4-day-long forum in panels and workshops. The UN officials and many government representatives were also present in different sessions. There was also a space for innovators called Freedom.e that brought people and nations together through one common language, technology. It was a perfect opportunity for anyone fond of innovation to network, experience new technologies and discover new cultures.
Overall, the World Youth Forum is a great opportunity for youth and students around the globe to build their capacity and open up their eyes, as well as for young entrepreneurs to present their projects and acquire crucial skills while exchanging their unique perspectives. As President El-Sisi said, we were created differently to complement each other. I joined the World Youth Forum for the first time in 2018 (kindly visit here to read about my 2018 experience), and joined the 2019 edition for the second time - but the experience was and will never be the same! Day by day, we, the youth are growing into greater versions rapidly. I encourage every youth and students around the globe to grab this opportunity to open up their eyes and grow even further.
Go to https://wyfegypt.com/ and register yourself for the 2020 edition. Zein, a four-time cancer survivor, as well as one of my favourite speakers of World Youth Forum 2019 said, “I embraced a motto in my life that I repeat daily in everything that I do, called NEGU. N. E. G. U. stands for Never Ever Give Up.” Remember, NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
Link To Article: https://youth-journal.org/world-youth-forum-2019-where-civilizations-meet
