News release

World Bank President Discussed Youth Agenda with the Indian Committee of Youth Organizations Delegation

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Not here to be patronizing the youth but working with Youth

– President, World Bank 

New Delhi, November 17, 2004, Mr. James D. Wolfensohn, President of World Bank arrived in Delhi on his two days visit and met the youth delegation of Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) and other University Students at Hotel Taj Mahal.

 

Pressing on the Youth issues he said “Youth is not the ‘Future’; it is the ‘Now’-unless the youth has hope and opportunity there can be no hope for peace” he told the delegation. ‘We are not here to be patronizing the youth but working with you” he added. He said that World Bank should reach out and address the questions that the young people face.

 

Mr. Wolfensohn praised the youth delegation for coming ahead with ideas and initiatives to work with the bank on social challenges saying that ‘we should formulate ideas in which we can act rather than just thinking about these issues’.

 

Quoting that World Bank has opened the door and the channel for social dialogue and initiating a close network with such youth organizations to work he also applauded the youth initiative already in place in India.

 

Mr. Ravi Narayan, Secretary General of Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) shared the outcomes of World Bank’s Conference on Youth Peace and Development held earlier and commitments made. He also gave brief account on the further development to implement the plan of action and future plan to engage the youth organizations to work with World Bank in India as well as in the region.

 

The youth raised the various concern related continuing the motions after this meeting. It was clarified that rather looking for new initiatives; World Bank should focus on good initiatives and strengthen or replicate them.

 

Child labour was another issue raised by students. The high cost of equipments and artificial organs are the main concern raised by youth with disabilities. AIESEC and Bhartiya Yuva Sangathan Trust informed some of the best practices to create the job opportunities. Mr Prafful Patel, Vice President, South Asia region, WB offer to make available the video conference facilities to share and learn the best practices from other countries to increase the capacity of youth working on specific areas.

 

The main focus of this meeting was to discuss future prospects on how the bank and the youth together can work to solve the existing issues and challenges in the country like HIV/AIDS, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, peace and disabilities.

 

The meeting was given a very high praise and it ended with future plans to meet in coming months with World Bank officials and do the follow up of the work done by the participants.

 

END

 

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News released by Youth Information

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Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 110 029

Phone 91 9811729093

Phone/Fax 91 1126183978

Email: icyo@... / icyo@...