International Youth Day is observed on August 12. It serves as an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners in change and is an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges and problems facing the world’s young people.
In India, we celebrate National Youth Day on January 12, 2020, on the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. The decision to celebrated the day was taken by the Indian Government in 1984. Swami Vivekananda personified the eternal energy of the youth and their restless quest for truth.
On 17 December 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the UN General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) calling for 12 August to be declared International Youth Day.
The day is commemorated every year to bring youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrate the potential of youth as partners in today’s global society.
This year’s theme for IYD is “Youth Engagement for Global Action”. The theme seems to highlight how the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes, as well as draw lessons on how their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics can be significantly enhanced, reports United Nations.