Baku to host UN event on youth issues
By Sara Rajabova
An Azerbaijani delegation led by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Intigam Babayev is on a study visit to the UN headquarters in New York.
On the first day of the visit, the delegation, which includes employees of the Ministry and UNDP, held a meeting with UN Undersecretary General for Communications and Public Information Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal.
During the meeting the initiative of holding the UN Youth Forum in Baku next year was welcomed and the participation of the UN Secretary General at the event was emphasized.
The Youth Forum is a platform where the youth engage in exploration process for possible ways and means to promote global and sustainable development building upon the potential of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and culture.
The delegation also held a meeting with the newly appointed UN Secretary General's Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi.
Alhendawi cited the importance of the reforms on youth policy in Azerbaijan and the State Program on Youth as an indicator of the state focus on youth issues. He also said the first-ever Symposium of UN experts on Youth Affairs would be held next year in June and Baku could be a suitable host for the event.
Deputy Minister Babayev invited UN Youth Envoy Alhendawi to Azerbaijan to attend a Model UN Security Council ceremony as well as observe first-hand the youth policy implemented in Azerbaijan, as well as the activity of youth organizations.
As a result of the discussions, held in a friendly environment, issues related to the UN Model event to be held in Baku this October were solved. The four-day conference will bring together 45 university students and graduates from 15 countries currently serving as members of the UN Security Council, including Azerbaijan.
Selected candidates will participate in a two-day pre-conference training workshop to be organized in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI), which will feature former and current diplomats with extensive experience in global security issues, followed by a simulated session of the UN Security Council on cyber terrorism.
Azerbaijan acts as a non-permanent member of the UNSC since January 1, 2012 and its membership will continue until December 31, 2013. Azerbaijan chaired the Security Council in May 2012 and will be heading it for a month-long period in the upcoming October again.