New York - Cairo: Europe and the Arabs
This year's International Youth Day focused on the importance of training them to transition to a green economy, to enhance the response to the global climate crisis and achieve the sustainable development goals.
In Egypt, United Nations agencies and the Ministry of Youth celebrated the International Youth Day, which fell on August 12, by highlighting the efforts made to develop their skills for the transition to a green economy.
This year's International Youth Day addressed "the importance of developing youth skills suitable for the green economy in achieving a sustainable world." According to a report published by the United Nations news website on the Internet.
The Ministry of Youth and the United Nations Family in Egypt celebrated a celebration in which hundreds of young men and women, both Egyptians and non-Egyptians, participated.
  Ms. Elena Panova, UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt, emphasized the importance of promoting green skills and leadership of youth to work for a better and more sustainable world on a healthier planet.
  She added that no one has a greater interest and bolder solutions than the youth:
"The labor market in the future will be driven by the transformation of the green economy with new technologies, and the philosophy of digital literacy will become an urgent necessity, and therefore analytical and creative thinking and flexibility will be among the most required skills among young people. The question is whether Egypt's youth are qualified for this new reality? And how do we support them for this adaptation?"
She said that the United Nations, in cooperation with the government, the private sector and development partners, launched the (Youth of the Country) initiative, which addresses the needs of young people on their journey from learning to earning, with a special focus on green and digital skills.
She added, "We have invited a number of young people from some countries of the world to form an advisory board at the United Nations, in our belief that meaningful youth participation is necessary to achieve the goals of sustainable development."
The Minister of Youth and Sports in Egypt, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, said that the new national strategy for youth and youth will work to adapt global strategies and initiatives to the aspirations of youth in Egypt, noting that the ministry will give youth priority to technological innovation, economic empowerment and entrepreneurship:
"We believe that youth are the real resource and engine of growth in Egypt, and we are working to harness the demographic dividend by investing in youth. Therefore, youth should enjoy all their rights to build a sustainable society. But what is required to achieve this? This is done by building an appropriate enabling environment, and prioritizing health mindset, and expand access to training and skills, especially green skills.”
He stressed that priority will be given to technological innovation, economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, health, community participation and governance of the youth sector. He said that the focus will also be on climate action led by young people by launching a national climate committee for young people to ensure their participation in decision-making so that this, in turn, will be reflected in their adoption of pressing climate issues.
At the celebration of the International Youth Day in Aswan Governorate - southern Egypt - Dr. Hanan El-Gendy, Executive Director of the Umm Habiba Foundation, pointed out the need to encourage youth to digital innovation and expand their adoption of green economy projects, which helps achieve the goals of sustainable development and Egypt's vision for the year 2030.

The young Mustafa Ezz Al-Arab represents an inspiring model for youth empowerment, as he worked immediately upon his graduation as an assistant to the Minister of Youth for Cultural and Community Affairs. He believes that this day aims to involve young people in shaping the future, taking into account the pressing issues that occupy our world, including climate change and the transition to a smart green economy:
"Climate changes swept the world as a result of the excessive use of energy and environmental pollutants, so winter became more extreme, as well as summer, as a result of global warming, which affects future generations. Therefore, the green economy was one of the solutions for the safe use of clean energy and rationing the use of fossil fuels and replacing them with environmentally friendly means. It is The goals of the United Nations are that by 2030 we will have eight and a half million jobs for young people in the field of the green economy. Hence, we must work to build the skills and capabilities of young people that are suitable for the environmentally friendly green economy.
On International Youth Day, some young people demanded that they be given greater opportunities to participate in learning and developing their skills in line with the accelerating pace of the world.
On International Youth Day, I send my message to the world to give us more opportunities to participate.
"We demand that our skills be expanded in the areas of programming and digital transformation,"
"We demand rehabilitation programs for young people that keep pace with the rapid development in the surrounding society and the world."