In observance of International Youth Day in Baku, on 12 August 2009, the UN Department of Public Information (UN DPI) office in Azerbaijan hosted the internally displaced children (IDPs) of the 10 regions of Azerbaijan along with the representatives of the regions’ executive authorities.
The special visitors were first given a guided tour through the UN House to present them some of the agencies within UN system, which are supporting national effort, led by the Government, to improve the lives of the people of Azerbaijan especially those of the poorest and the most vulnerable such as internally displaced people. The tour was followed by the presentation of UN work in general and the Organization’s activities and its promotion of the issues concerning youth as well as the endowments young people may bring to the world.
The Representative of the DPI office in Azerbaijan, Ms. Envera Selimovic, said that the UN defines the worlds’ youth as the age group between 15 and 24, composing one-sixth of the human population. “Youth may influence their prospect by changing the world around them and we are happy if our joint activities will encourage them to be active members of the society and a driving force of change in improving the quality of life in their communities, wherever that might be.”
Children of the 10 regions of Azerbaijan along with the representatives of the regions’ executive authorities at the UN House
The idea for the International Youth Day was proposed in 1991 by young people who gathered in Vienna, Austria, for the first session of the UN’s World Youth Forum, participants were explained. In 1998, a resolution proclaiming August 12 as the International Youth Day was adopted during the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth. That recommendation was later endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 1999 and the Day was observed for the first time nine years ago. The theme for 2009 celebration is “Sustainability: Our Challenge - Our Future” as an effort to promote a global sense of social responsibility among youth.
After the guided tour, the presentations and a lively discussion, the youngsters did not veil their excitement: “This is the first time that I ever entered the UN office and I am really happy,” Aisha - an IDP girl from Shusha region said. She was among those who delightfully participated in the quiz session organized by the UN DPI staff following the presentations. At the end of this event, organized in close cooperation with Republican Commission for International Humanitarian Assistance, the DPI Representative presented gifts to the young participants and thanked them for their active participation and enthusiasm to learn and explore.
Mrs. Osman Dilshad, from the child fund of Zengilan region’s Executive Government, hailed this initiative as increasingly beneficial not only to broader their horizon but to introduce them to new friends. “The IDP children are very shy and hardly sociable because they do not meet diverse group of people in their lives except for a narrow scope of those in their community. Such events make them more sociable and widen their overall outlook”.
Vugar from Kalbajar region made two new friends: “I became acquainted with two guys, one from Zengilan and other from Lachin region. We were born in various parts of Azerbaijan and eventually met in the UN Office in Baku.”