Youth Representatives to Present Views to APEC Leaders
The opinions of young people from around the Asia-Pacific will be heard by APEC Leaders following the 2005 APEC Youth Plaza that began in Seoul today.
Working to the theme of 'APEC Youths in the Cyber World' the forum involves more than 150 young people between the ages of 18 and 30 with an interest in international relations.
Over the following six days youth delegates will cover a range of issues in the areas of 'Roles and Ethics of Youth in the Cyber World' and 'Challenges and Visions of e-World for the Youth.'
During the course of the forum representatives will participate in discussions and formulate common positions on four APEC priority questions:
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Free Trade: Regionalism & Globalization; how can these two go side by side?
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Fighting Corruption: What is the youth role to eliminate corruption?
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Information Technology: What can the APEC Youth do to overcome the IT gap between APEC Member Economies?
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Intercultural Cooperation: The role of APEC to promote cultural exchange among member economies.
These discussion forums will be held according to the standard APEC format followed by Leaders, Ministers and Senior Officials.
The festival is expected to broaden understanding on the impact of the new cyber-age on the younger generation.
At the conclusion of the forum on August 24, delegates will produce an 'APEC Youth Declaration' outlining their position on various issues that will then be presented to APEC Leaders when they meet in Busan, Korea, in November.
The 2005 APEC Youth Plaza is an initiative of the Korean Government as hosts of the 2005 APEC process.
Additional details are available at www.youtizen.org