International Youth Day 2020 | UPSC
HEADLINES:
Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah conveys greetings to mark the International Youth Day
WHY IN NEWS:
“The greatest strength and asset of any nation is its youth. India is truly blessed to have a youth power filled with tremendous ambitions and skills”
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Human Resource : Youth
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS go with the aim , initiative and the celebrations .
For MAINS How are youth mentally challenged during the tough times during the pandemic ? What are the psycho-social effects ? Enumerate .
ISSUE:
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2020
AIM
- International Youth Day gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement.
- The commemoration will take the form of a podcast-style discussion that is hosted by youth for youth.
- This event is to recognize the importance of youth participation in political, economic and social life and processes.
THEME
2020 Theme: Youth Engagement for Global Action
SIGNIFICANCE
- “Youth Engagement for Global Action” seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels.
- It is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes too, as well as draw lessons on how their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics can be significantly enhanced.
This year’s IYD seeks to put the spotlight on youth engagement through the following three interconnected streams:
- Engagement at the local/community level;
- Engagement at the national level (formulation of laws, policies, and their implementation); and,
- Engagement at the global level.
NEEDED CORRECTIONS
- The international system of governance is currently undergoing a crisis of legitimacy and relevance.
- In particular, this crisis is rooted in the need to strengthen the capacity of the international system to act in concert and implement solutions to pressing challenges and threats.
CELEBRATION
- Join #31DaysOfYOUth, a social media campaign that will celebrate young people throughout the month of August!
MOBILIZING YOUTH IN COVID-19 RESPONSES
- Young people are particularly vulnerable to the disruptions the pandemic has caused.
- Young people will form a key element in an inclusive recovery from COVID-19.
- Youth are the key to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during this Decade of Action.
YOUTH RESPONSES TO COVID-19
- COVID-19 affects all segments of the population, with young people playing a key role in the management of this outbreak .
- Though much is still unknown on how the disease affects young people, governments are mandated in the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) to ensure their services meet the needs of young people.
- In these circumstances, it is important to ensure that youth are heard alongside other community .
- These are patient voices in the rollout of health and non-health interventions in response to COVID-19.
- Building up the capacity of youth to be able to make their own decisions on health and to take responsibility for health is also a key element of WPAY.
- In this context, health education, public health promotion, and evidence-based information are critical in combating the spread and effects of COVID-19.
- The role of governments as well as youth organizations and community groups will be essential to ensure that trustworthy public health information is disseminated.
- A number of initiatives are being developed to leverage young people’s efforts to generate and deliver support to at-risk populations or populations affected by the pandemic.
- Many youth-driven technology innovation hubs are supporting startups to develop effective solutions to address COVID-19.
BACKGROUND
- In 1999, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Enabling the engagement of youth in formal political mechanisms does increase the fairness of political processes by reducing democratic deficits.
- This contributes to better and more sustainable policies that can further contribute to restore trust in public institutions, especially among youth.
- Moreover, the vast majority of challenges humanity currently faces, such as the COVID-19 outbreak and climate change require concerted global action.
- This is only possible with the meaningful engagement and participation of young people that needs to be addressed effectively.
“Skilled and enthused youth have the power to make the best of the opportunities on their way”
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | 5th Aug Current Affairs News Analysis
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