ENJOY READING WORLD ASSEMBLY OF YOUTH PRESS RELEASE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEMOCRACY: ‘ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE ON DEMOCRACY’ DATE: 15TH SEPTEMBER 2014 Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on societys margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies”. ~Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General, Unites Nations~ In the world where everything is fluctuating, it is pivotal to have a proper governance concept with the balance of both fairness and equality in all forms of life; that concept is known as Democracy. Democracy is a worldwide value based on the freely expressed will of people to establish their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their rights to fully contribute in all aspects of lives. Through democracy, the UN strives to achieve its goals of peace and just development where human rights are well protected. The UN also recognizes a fundamental truth about democracy everywhere, that democracy is the product of a strong, active and vocal civil society. Acknowledging the importance of Democracy, the UN General Assembly decided on November 8, 2007 to observe September 15 as the annual date in commemorating the International Day of Democracy when every stakeholder focuses on raising public awareness on Democracy. People between the ages of 15 and 25 years old constitute a fifth of the world’s population. In many developing countries, the proportion is even higher with the majority of them living in low and middle income countries. Young people have much to offer societies from innovation to creativity. Their participation in democracy promotes active citizenship, strengthens social responsibility and enhances democratic processes and institutions. What we do not want to forget is the fact that today’s young citizens are tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers. This years theme, ‘Engaging Young People on Democracy’ is what many stakeholders including WAY seek and works for. In achieving full participation, all stakeholders should work together in resuscitating the vivacity of young people in bringing positive contribution to their societies. As our contribution in observing the International Day of Democracy, we, at World Assembly of Youth (WAY), seek to participate in promoting democracy in every way possible by having a sense of responsibility, especially towards the youth, that is to protect their rights and ensure that their voices are heard. Since our establishment, we have recognized and adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in both our internal and external activities, including discussions, dialogues, and workshops with the aims of supporting and endorsing youth’s participation in the communities. On this day, we would like to reiterate our call to all young people to be responsibly courageous in speaking up their thought and opinion, to contribute in making betterment and positive changes for better world of tomorrow. World Assembly of Youth wishes you a Happy International Day of Democracy! -END- WAY Secretariat __._,_.___ *********************************** WORLD ASSEMBLY OF YOUTH Visit our website at way.org.my Secretariat Address: World Assembly of Youth, World Youth Complex, Jalan Lebuh Raya, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia. Telephones: +6062321871 or +6062322711 Fax: +6062327271 Email: [email protected] **********************************
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 10:00:22 +0000
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