Y20 inception meeting begins in city on Feb 6

Guwahati: Guwahati is hosting the first Youth20 (Y20) Inception Meeting 2023 under G20 from February 6-8. The meeting is being held on the campus of IIT-Guwahati and it will provide an opportunity for students to voice their opinions on various issues.

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur will hold a ‘Youth Dialogue’ with Y20 delegates followed by the launch of a whitepaper on various themes.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma will also present research papers from students and academicians in the state. Besides, technical sessions and deliberations will be hosted at IIT Guwahati. Prominent speakers include Gen. VK Singh, Shri. GP Singh, Hima Das, among others.

An ice-breaking session will be held with Y20 delegates at Brahmaputra Sandbar Island and eminent singer Papon will perform at the session.

More than 150 Youth delegates from G20 countries are set to participate in three-day meetings. Over 12,000 college/university students are also expected to participate in these events. Every higher education institution in Assam will also be organising an awareness drive at 10 nearby schools to sensitise the schools about G-20 groupings and functioning.

Y20 works with an aim to provide the youth a platform to raise their concerns on contemporary issues. The Y20 Inception Meet scheduled for 6th- 8th February 2023 in Guwahati will lay the groundwork for programmes of Y20 during India's G20 Presidency.

Y20 themes are Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation and 21st century; Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability as a Way of Life; Peace Building and Reconciliation: Ushering in an Era of No War; Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance; Health, Wellbeing and Sports: Agenda for Youth.

Started in 2012, the Y-20 is the youth version of the G-20 Summits and it is the only officially recognized platform for young people to engage with the G-20 it is one of the most influential international diplomatic forums for young leaders. It is also one of eight official engagement groups under the G-20 umbrella.

The G-20 rotating presidency bears the responsibility of hosting the youth summit, which usually takes place some weeks prior to the traditional forum to know what the youths are thinking and incorporate their suggestions in their own policy proposals. It is an attempt to create a connecting point between G-20 governments and their local youth. The 3-day long Y-20 Inception Meet will conclude on February 8.

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