Experiences of Youth Engagement with UNESCO Silk Roads Programme
©UNESCO / Sara FaridThe 11th UNESCO Youth Forum – Youth Spaces in Action! took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, on 18 and 19 November 2019, during the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference. The theme of this year’s General Conference is ‘(Re)Generation’, placing a focus on the role of young people in shaping the global agenda for peace.
Every two years, youth meet at UNESCO’s Headquarters to discuss the challenges we face today that fall within UNESCO’s fields of competence.
The Forum was an opportunity to showcase and discuss good practice in youth engagement with UNESCO in the context of the Youth Space Initiative and other projects around the world that youth have developed with the support of the Organization. Amongst the panellists was Ankur Shah, who represented the UNESCO Silk Roads Programme as a panellist during the first panel ‘Experiences of Youth Engagement with UNESCO’ held on Monday 18 November.
During the panel, he discussed his work in exploring the attitudes of young people today towards the Silk Roads. These experiences have included undertaking a 23,000 km journey from Venice, Italy to Beijing, China, seeking to understand the Silk Roads from a ground-up perspective and engaging with a diverse cohort of young actors from across these regions. This expedition resulted in the publication of the series ‘The Diary of Young Explorers: Retracing the Ancient Silk Roads’, which collected and shared the interactions, observations and insights gained through retracing these historic routes. Another of the Silk Roads initiatives discussed was ‘Young Scholars on the Silk Roads’, an interview series in which young professionals working in various fields connected to international dialogue and cooperation shared their views on the Silk Roads today and, in particular, their thoughts on how young people can get involved in activities relating to the Silk Roads.
The panel concluded with a series of questions and observations from participants on expanding youth engagement and improving the access of young people to involvement in relevant programmes. In particular, the panel touched on ways in which trust and confidence can be built between young change makers with high value propositions and member states, UNESCO and other senior stakeholders to improve access and representation in decision-making processes.
The Youth Forum was officially closed by Ms Nada al-Nashif, Assistant Director General for Social and Human Sciences, and H.E. Altay Cengizer, President of the General Conference, who reiterated the importance of meaningful engagement with, and amongst, youth as well as the potential to continue to build a community practice that amplifies the voices of youth around the world.
Listen to Ankur's experience here
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