WFUNA Youth Seminar Gets a Warm Welcome in Jaipur

Youth Seminar participants with Hon. Governor of Rajasthan Mr. Kalyan Singh at an event organised by WFUNA Foundation, India

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015

JAIPUR, INDIA – Representatives from India’s government, the UN and WFUNA leadership were present on Sunday, 29 March for the official inauguration of the WFUNA Youth Seminar at the campus of Jayshree Periwal International School. Special guest Health Minister of the Government of Rajasthan Mr. Rajendra Rathore opened the ceremony. He was followed by welcome remarks from WFUNA Secretary–General Mr. Bonian Golmohammadi, WFUNA Treasurer Mr. Sundeep Bhutoria, Indian Federation of United Nations Associations (IFUNA) Secretary–General Mr. Suresh Srivastava, United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC) Director Ms. Kiran Mehra–Kerpelman and Ms. Jayshree Periwal, Director of Jayshree Periwal International School.

After the speeches, the audience was entertained by an impressive cultural display of traditional Indian dances. Mr. Golmohammadi said after the inauguration: “The new development agenda cannot be achieved unless young people get actively involved. Their knowledge and impact is necessary. This is of special importance since the new development goals will influence their lives to a higher degree than the previous goals. We need young global citizens more than ever.”

The WFUNA Youth Seminar Jaipur is organized in partnership with Jayshree Periwal International School. It brought together 20 outstanding students from Jayshree Periwal International School, 10 observers from schools in Jaipur, 15 Indian young leaders representing the Indian Federation of United Nations Associations and 15 international participants from UNAs and UNYAs in Azerbaijan, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, Syria, Republic of Korea, Russia, Uganda and United States of America.

With the theme “Taking Ownership of the Post–2015 Development Agenda,” the conference aims to transform youth into champions of action to enable them to lead the implementation of the UN’s new Sustainable Development Goals. The five days of workshops and activities focus on strengthening project management, fundraising and social media skills. Follow #YSJaipur on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for coverage of the Youth Seminar as it happens.