PARIS, NOVEMBER 18TH – Unfolding in Paris over the course of the next two days is the 11th UNESCO Youth Forum -taking place during the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference- on Youth Spaces in Action. 60 young people from across the world have been selected by the UNESCO Secretariat to participate in this discussion on youth engagement with UNESCO. Among them is Valentina Sabucco, representing Europe.
Sabucco graduated from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in 2016 with a Bachelor Degree in Classics, and Newcastle University in 2019 with a Master of Practice in Heritage Studies. She completed the ‘Fighting the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property’ UNESCO certificate and is currently Secretary Assistant at Blue Shield International, a British-based organization looking to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict.
The aim of the UNESCO Youth Forum is to encourage dialogue, experience and knowledge-sharing, peer learning and cooperation among young change-makers and youth representatives, with UNESCO and its Members States, and with other stakeholders. The outcome of the Forum will be a recommendation document, to be presented during the 40th session of the General Conference, on fruitful engagement of the youth with UNESCO. The framework for a UNESCO Youth Community of Practice (YCoP) -a global platform connecting passionate young people for collaborating on local issues- will furthermore be developed.
“The task for those of us in power, or with the illusion of power, is not to solve the problems of young people, but to build frameworks, so that they can be at the center of problem solving. We must treat young people not as subjects to be protected, but as powerful agents for change,” urged Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, during the UNESCO Youth Forum’s opening.(SB@OnuItalia)
