Every year on August 12, the global community celebrates International Youth Day.
Sea-news.az reports that the decision to establish this memorable day was adopted in 1998 at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth and formalized by a resolution of the UN General Assembly on December 17, 1999. The main purpose of the day is to increase the role of youth in society, draw attention to the resolution of global problems they face, and strengthen international cooperation.
In 2026, International Youth Day is being held under the motto “Diverse realities, shared aspirations.”
Limited access to education, scarcity of decent job opportunities, digital inequality, climate change, and mental well-being concerns affect millions of young people without borders.
These problems take on an even more acute character in landlocked developing countries and small island developing states due to infrastructure and financial limitations.
Despite the restrictions, youth put forward new creative solutions through digital technologies, community initiatives, ecological adaptation, and social innovations.
The principles of the global youth movement are also reflected in Azerbaijan’s state policy. The youth policy, founded by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, is considered a unique experience in the CIS and Eastern European space.
In 1997, by a Decree of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, February 2 was declared Azerbaijan Youth Day.
Under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, State Programs for the education of youth abroad have been implemented, and thousands of young people have studied at the world’s prestigious universities. Nearly 50 Olympic Sports Complexes have been built in the country.
The “Azerbaijani Youth Development Strategy for 2015–2025,” the “Yukselish” (Ascent) competition, and the expanding volunteering movement have developed the management skills of youth.
In the 2020 Patriotic War, the valor of young servicemen on the frontline and the information struggle on the home front played a decisive role in the restoration of our country’s territorial integrity.
President Ilham Aliyev’s thought, “You can rely on me in all matters. I also rely on you,” forms the main line of the state’s strategic trust in youth.
