August 12th every year provides an opportunity to all of us to collectively and individually recognize and celebrate the young peoples’ potential.
Gabriel Opio
The Minister of Uganda for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Gabriel Opio says August 12th is a day on which all people in the world take stock of what has been done to ensure the implementation of the world programme of action on youth.
The theme for this year’s international youth day is ‘dialogue and mutual understanding.’ Opio says the theme meant to emphasize the need for a harmonious co-existence despite our cultural, ideology, ethnic and religious diversity.
He says the theme enjoins us to appreciate the value of dialogue among youth from different cultures as well as among the different generations.
Opio says “I take this opportunity to also inform the general public that the UN General Assembly proclaimed an international year of youth starting on 12th August 2010 and ending on the 12th of August 2011.
The Minister says this was done in order to provide an opportunity of harnessing the energy, imagination, and initiatives of the world’s youth in overcoming the challenges facing humankind from enhancing peace to development mutual understanding between people of different cultures.