Resolving the pressing issues of the day through an open and trustful dialogue and a close cooperation among youth agencies and organizations in Asia were discussed in the Kazakh capital at the Fifth Meeting of the Youth Council of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on 14-15 July 2022.
The address of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was read out to the meeting participants, which, inter alia, said, “In the context of global turbulence, the importance of CICA as an effective institution for multilateral diplomacy, strengthening cooperation and security in the region and the world increases manifold. The CICA Youth Council makes a significant contribution to unlocking the potential of the next generation.”
In his welcoming remarks, CICA Executive Director Ambassador Kairat Sarybay highlighted that the CICA Youth Council had become a unique platform for accumulating best ideas of the youth, as well as exchanging experience on youth policy issues among youth associations of the CICA Member States.
Addressing the participants, Vice-Minister of Information and Social Development of Kazakhstan Alexander Danilov emphasized that Kazakhstan took measures on a regular basis to promote and support young leaders and those, who succeeded in various areas. “This is a very important work in the new era, when high intelligence is a priority, and the intellectual potential of the nation comes to the fore,” the Vice-Minister said.
Welcoming remarks were also made by Vice-President of Nazarbayev University Kadisha Dairova, Acting Chairman of the World Youth Association of Uzbekistan Istamjon Khamroev and Head of the International Department of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs of the Russian Federation Valeriia Chernogorodova, who presented and shared their organizations' experience in implementing youth policy.
All speakers, who delivered opening remarks, agreed on the need to actively involve young people in the development of youth policy and direct participation in its implementation.
The event was attended by members of the Youth Council, representatives of youth organizations, associations, movements of Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of CICA Observer and Partner Organizations from the SCO, TurkPA, and UNDP.
During the plenary and panel sessions, the participants discussed relevant issues such as youth and student exchange programmes, countering youth radicalization, preventive measures against destructive behaviour among youth, suicide and drug addiction prevention among youth, youth development at national and regional levels, young parliamentarians, etc.
On the second day, delegates went on a guided tour to the Burabay National Nature Park, during which they continued informal discussions and sharing experiences on how to address relevant problems among young people.