Participants shaking hands with a stilt walker upon arrival at the opening ceremony of the 15th World Conference on Youth 2014 at the Magampura Ruhunupura International Convention Centre in Hambantota, 240km south of Colombo.

IANS

Colombo

Delegates of the World Conference on Youth (WCY) 2014 yesterday said social stigmas and lack of awareness have become the major obstacles of gender equality.

Traditional thinking over the gender equality has also been questioned as the world is constructed by the messages that the elder generation conveyed to the younger.

Parents instructs the younger generation on what is right, said Kishu Gomes, a businessman as a guest in the discussion, adding that it is important to change public perception on gender equality, Xinhua
reported.

Phillipa Gardner, from World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts UK, attached great importance to women’s participation in the world issues.

“Women are vital to various world issues, energy, food security and health,” said the delegate, adding that she hopes the session on the sidelines of the meeting could light the way for more gender equal society.

The WCY 2014 kicked off in Sri Lanka on Tuesday as about 1,500 youths from 169 countries participated in the event, which was for the first time held in the Southern Asian country.

Inaugurating the WCY, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse said youth are seen as dependents and not as full and competent partners of the global development process.

“You would agree that the increasingly large youth population, who live in the global South, makes it impossible to discuss any follow-up to Rio+20 and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, without considering their needs and challenges,” said the president.

He said that “the youth of today face an enhanced burden. They need to find a living for themselves, as well as, increasingly care for an ageing population. To ignore this growing trend would entail unmanageable problems for policymakers, national leaders, and the global community alike.”

Rajapakse also noted the primary responsibility to ensure youth participation in development lies with the state. He insisted leaders of countries and policymakers need to consider a number of challenges to make this effort meaningful and
successful.

John William, president of the United Nations General Assembly, emphasised that world youth need to get involved to define the Post-2015 Global
Development Agenda.

Ashe said: “There are sections of society that was clearly not included in the previous global development drive,” referring to the Millennium Development Goals. “This time around we have to make sure that they are involved.”

Under the theme of “Mainstreaming Youth in the Post 2015 Development Agenda,” the WCY 2014 will take place until Saturday in Colombo.