Kathmandu, Aug 4 

The National Youth Council has planned week-long celebrations to mark this year’s International Youth Day.

Council executive vice chair Madhav Prasad Dhungel informed about this at a virtual press meet here today. Several programmes have been scheduled for a week on the occasion of the Day and the celebrations will be focused on developing leadership capacity among youths, it is said. August 12 every year is observed as the International Youth Day since 2000 as per the United Nations’ 1999 proclamation.

The theme of the Day for 2020 is “Youth Engagement for Global Action”. A 201-member main celebration committee has been formed under the convenorship of Youth and Sports Minister Jagat Bahadur Bishwakarma and a nine-member secretariat coordinated by executive vice chair Dhungel has been constituted to celebrate the Day. The main-day celebrations will also go through virtually owing to the global COVID-19 crisis.

The United Nations representative and office bearers from youth organisations in China, India, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh will also be addressing the main-day event, said Council’s information officer Dhruba Raj Poudel. Talk shows on the topics of ‘sustainable development and youth’ and ‘youth, politics and employment’ with youth leadership have been scheduled same day. A cultural show by national artistes, essay writing competition, blood donation programmes (Chabahil and Kalanki), tree transplantation (Suryabinayak), food offering programme (Chagunarayan), and orientation programme on COVID-19 for volunteers are the parts of the weeklong celebrations, according to information officer Poudel.

The National Census 2011 puts the population of youths at 40.3 percent of the total population: 26,494,504 at the time. In Nepal, it is being observed since 2004 on the initiation of several non -government organisations working for the causes of youths. The Council has been marking the Day since 2016.

Council administrative chief Dr Baburam Dhungana said social development ministry at every state and local governments have been directed to celebrate the Day.