The International Forum “Youth for Peace and Trust”, jointly organized by the Government of Turkmenistan and the UN Country Team in Turkmenistan, took place on 29 March 2021 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The Forum is an event included in the Road Map of the International Year of Peace and Trust and aims to contribute to the ECOSOC Youth Forum, to be held on 7 and 8 April 2021.
The first part of the Forum was in a form of a thematic session entitled “The Role of Youth in Building Peace and Trust”, with the representatives of youth networks and movements from all around the world. The plenary session of the Forum entitled “Youth, Peace and culture of Trust” was dedicated to the statements and discussion of senior UN officials – heads of regional offices of the UN Specialized Agencies and Programmes present in Turkmenistan and in the region. The Forum concluded with the adoption of the “Appeal of the Youth Forum”.
Dr. Cvetan Cvetkovski, Officer-in-Charge of UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office presented to the Forum the UNESCO Youth Programme “By Youth, with Youth, for Youth” and its operationalization in Turkmenistan and in the region.
In his statement, he highlighted UNESCO approach in the work with youth based on the creativity, the potential and the capacity of youth to make change happen – for themselves, for their communities, and for the rest of the world.
Dr. Cvetkovski further presented the UNESCO Youth Forum process, which since 1999 and until today, has provided an innovative opportunity for youth to dialogue among themselves and with UNESCO, to provide orientations to UNESCO’s programmes and to present their concerns and ideas to Member States through UNESCO’s General Conference.
Finally, he presented UNESCO Youth Spaces Initiative, launched in 2017, with the aim to foster youth engagement in their communities, in particular those youth who go unnoticed or have no opportunity to engage in civic action. In the Youth Spaces Initiative, youth are meaningfully engaged in the agendas as actors, partners and change-makers: they lead the spaces and ensure their sustainability through youth led-action.
Dr. Cvetkovski concluded with the UNESCO strategic commitment to accompany youth to work together to drive social innovation and change, participate fully in the development of their societies, eradicate poverty and inequality, and foster a culture of peace.
