Sheikha Dr. Aisha bint Faleh bin Nasser speaking at the opening ceremony. PICTURE: Jayan Orma.

By Joseph Varghese
Staff Reporter

The first-ever Global Youth Consultation (GYS), in preparation for the upcoming UN’s World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), got under way at the Student Centre of Hamad Bin Khalifa University on Tuesday.
Held under the patronage of HE Dr Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the conference is hosted by Reach Out To Asia (Rota), a member of Qatar Foundation. The event will end on Wednesday.
HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation, Sheikha Dr. Aisha bint Faleh bin Nasser, Rota board member, Dr Jemilah Mahmood, chief of the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat, Ahmad al-Hendawi, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Youth, Dr Hany El-Banna, executive director for the Humanitarian Forum and Essa al-Mannai, Rota’s executive director, were present at the opening ceremony.
HE Sheikh Mohammed said “Qatar pays great importance for education and the power of education in unleashing the potential of the youth. We believe that the youth have a great role in shaping the future of the world by engaging in constructive roles.This summit is an opportunity for the youth to engage in constructive practices to bridge the gulf among the global communities.”
Sheikha Aisha said “Rota strongly believes in the importance of unlocking the human potential, especially in the youth. We are very proud to host such a milestone event, as Qatar will be participating in gathering the input of the world’s youth to change the shape of the future on humanitarian issues.”
GYC aims to improve global disaster preparedness and response as well as shape the global youth position by gathering input from youth on humanitarian challenges and solutions.The consultation will allow the views of over 300 young participants aged between 18 and 30 representing 82 countries, including 70 from Qatar, to be incorporated into the UN Secretary-General’s report, and the overall recommendations for the WHS, to be held in Istanbul from May 23-24 2016.
The importance of the GYC lies in the fact that the last major consultation on humanitarian action took place nearly 25 years ago. The WHS will offer an opportunity for youth to make recommendations and tangible commitments to set about some major changes in humanitarian action.
Rota was chosen by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for its efforts in supporting the youth, in particular, Empower, Rota’s flagship youth conference which has taken place annually for seven consecutive years. Empower has built a great reputation for enabling young people from all over the world to voice their opinions in the global sustainable development agenda.
For the GYC, Rota has partnered with international organisations, including the UN Major Group for Children and Youth, World Humanitarian Summit Youth Task Force, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, and Plan International.

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