Offering youth the opportunity to participate in the development of society was the greatest challenge and the greatest honour the international community could afford them, as well as its greatest responsibility and finest reward, the President of the General Assembly, Freitas do Amaral (Portugal) told the Assembly this morning.

The President's remarks opened the Assembly's commemoration of the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year. The Assembly is eventually expected to adopt the world programme of action for youth towards the year 2000 and beyond, the final text of which is still under negotiation.

The Under-Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, speaking as the representative of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, said the needs of young people were a global priority and called for more advocacy for youth and for a renewed commitment on the part of the international community. He added that of the approximately 1 billion young people in the world today, 85 per cent of them lived in developing countries, where access to education was limited and they faced unemployment and poverty.

The representative of Spain, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the implementation of the world programme of action for youth to the year 2000, was ultimately the responsibility of governments, but the young should be involved at all levels. With regard to that programme, the representative of the Russian Federation said it was balanced, since it set forth the interests of youth across the world.

Illiteracy, poverty, drug abuse, AIDS and crime were among the main afflictions of youth in developing countries, the representative of Burkina Faso said. The representative of Ecuador, speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, warned the international community that neglecting youth in developing countries could result in a deterioration of the family as the nucleus of society.

Statements on the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year were also made by the representatives of Sri Lanka and Marshall Islands, as well as a representative of the Austrian Youth Council.

Also this morning, the General Assembly adopted, without a vote, a recommendation from its General Committee that items entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for equality, development and peace" and "Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights" be added to the agenda of the fiftieth session. The item on the Women's Conference will be considered directly in plenary and the High Commissioner's report will be considered as a sub-item under agenda item 112 in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural).

The Assembly also decided, without a vote, to authorize the following working groups to meet during the session: the open-ended working group on the question of equitable representation on and increase in membership of the Security Council; and the ad hoc open-ended working group on the Agenda for Development; and the high-level open-ended working group on the financial situation of the United Nations.

Also this morning, a minute of silence was observed due to the death of Kenneth Dadzie, a former Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The General Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its discussion on the tenth anniversary of the International Youth Year.

For further details please see source:
MEETINGS COVERAGE

For further details please see official record:
A/50/PV.41

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