Inauguration of the two-day International Youth Day celebration took place in South Asian University (SAU), in association with the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (UNESCO MGIEP) on 11 August 2026 in Lecture Hall 1, PCM Building, South Asian University. The program offered a platform for the young participants from SAARC countries to discuss their views and find innovative solutions for building peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies.
The opening session set the tone for celebrating youth leadership, diversity, inclusion, creativity and participation. The partnership of South Asian University and UNESCO MGIEP is meant to give young people the opportunity to voice their opinions about the contemporary issues and take an active part in making their future.
Dr. Moritz Bilagher of UNESCO MGIEP welcomed the participants, guests and young delegates and expressed his appreciation of the valuable partnership of South Asian University. In his speech, he stressed the importance of creating venues for interaction and dialogue between young people and empowering youth to engage in the dialogue about peace and sustainability.
Dean, Faculty of Arts, Media and Design (FAMD), South Asian University, Prof. (Dr.) Ramesh C. Gaur also extended warm greetings to the youth gathered there from various SAARC countries. Speaking about the significance of recognizing diversity and inclusion, he encouraged the delegates to take an active part in all the activities in order to ensure that their voices be heard.
Prof. Gaur also thanked the Hon’ble President of South Asian University, Prof. K. K. Aggarwal for his vision and leadership in fostering academic cooperation and initiatives that help youth learn, interact and lead.
Among other events, the opening ceremony also saw the felicitation ceremony in which distinguished guests including Ms. Sonal, Mr. Abhishek, Dr. Morris, Ms. Pallavi and Ms. Richa Bansal were felicitated for their contributions to the program.
The opening day of the celebrations was marked by deliberations from the eight participating teams on the topic, “Peaceful and Sustainable Futures.” The deliberations offered an interesting forum where the young participants got an opportunity to share their perspectives, listen to different points of view and consider some of the socio-development challenges faced by the societies today.
By sharing views through dialogue and exchange of thoughts, the participating teams considered ways to address the issues of peace, sustainability, social responsibility and inclusion. The programme not only gave an opportunity to the participants to discuss the challenges but also think through how they could be addressed and what role could the youth play in this process.
This programme is organized by Prof. Ambrish Saxena with the active assistance of Dr. Abinash Kumar Jha, Dr. Piyashi Dutta, Dr. Shruti Nagpal and Dr. Nipunika Shahid. The research scholars and students of the Faculty of Arts, Media & Design have also extended their assistance in organizing this event. The faculty members are also acting as jury members in the competitions and events.
The second day of the celebration is expected to include the finals of the National Youth Debate Competition, along with Nukkad Natak, film screening, cultural shows, art exhibition, and interactive sessions. There will also be a number of other activities organized by young people for them to exhibit their creative, communicative, cultural and leadership talents.
The two days long International Youth Day celebration aims at doing something out of the box and provide the youth with a platform to communicate and collaborate. This will help them to understand the importance of their involvement in solving societal problems.
This project will further cement the dedication and commitment of the South Asian University and UNESCO MGIEP for fostering youth leadership and encouraging education in peace, sustainable development, diversity and inclusion. This event reflects the view that youth involvement could be highly constructive towards fostering societies that are peaceful, just, sustainable and inclusive.
During the celebration, it is anticipated that the student participants will derive benefit through a mixture of debating, cultural exchange, artistic expressions and learning collaboration, thereby creating a significant platform for the International Youth Day program.
