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Summary: Statement by his excellency Sam Nujoma,
persident of the Republic of Namibia, on the
occasion of the official opening of the XIV
General Assembly of the World Assembly of
Youth (WAY).
21 FEBRUARY 2005 WINDHOEK
*Check Against Delivery
Master of Ceremonies
Right Honourable Datuk Seri Haji Mohammad Ali Rustam
President of the World Assembly of Youth
Honourable Ministers
Honourable Members of Parliament
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Esteemed Vice-Presidents and Executive Committee Members of the World
Assembly of Youth
Distinguished Delegates
Distinguished Invited Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted and honoured to be with you today at this opening
ceremony of the 14th General Assembly of World Assembly of Youth. It is
indeed an honour and a historic occasion for Namibia to host this
internationally renowned and important meeting of the World Assembly of
Youth.
I would like to wholeheartedly and warmly welcome all the delegates to
this important General Assembly. In particular, I would like to wish all the
delegates from abroad a pleasant and enjoyable stay in our country.
I am informed that you are gathered here to discuss effective ways and
means of addressing one of the greatest challenges of our time, the
HIV/Aids pandemic. As you are aware, it is the young people who mostly
bear the brunt of this deadly pandemic. Thus, it is fitting that you have
chosen a theme that relates to young people and their awareness in
respect of the HIV/Aids pandemic which is: “Youth Rise to meet the
HIV/Aids challenge”.
Indeed, HIV/Aids is a serious and pressing challenge that young people in
Namibia, in Africa and throughout the world are facing. Current statistics
indicate that more than half of new HIV/Aids infections are to be found in
young people who are between the ages of 16 and 24. As young people,
you must take personal responsibility of ensuring that you are protected
from infection and do not infect others. You must remember that you are
the future leaders and your generation must exercise responsible
behaviour to be able to lead our common home, the global village to
greater social justice, equity and economic prosperity for all humanity.
Master of Ceremonies,
The world is integrating economically, socially and culturally but it is
disintegrating politically. However, this disintegration can be contained
and rooted out if you as young people, who are the future leaders,
continue to come together and work together in unity like you are
gathered here to deliberate on issues of mutual concern. Therefore, I
would like to urge you to become proponents of a just socio-economic
development order in your respective countries, regions and the world at
large. As future leaders, it is now the time for you to look at and ponder
the current and future challenges, especially in the fields of science and
technology which are the backbone of economic growth and industrial
development.
I believe that the youth can only effectively contribute to economic
development when they have acquired the necessary knowledge and
skills. It is for this reason that in Namibia, the Government has prioritised
education and training of our youth to enable them to play a meaningful
role in the socio-economic development of our country. Currently, two
thirds of our national budget is allocated to the social sectors, including
education and training.
Master of Ceremonies,
There is no doubt that the process of globalisation poses several threats
to developing countries in various ways, including trade imbalance
between the developing and industrialised countries, economic
dependence caused by unfair trade regimes, high interest rates imposed
on developing countries by international and multi-national lending
institutions, as well as uneven distribution of resources and technologies.
This unjust system has undoubtedly caused suffering and hardships
among the people of the Southern hemisphere. As the youth, it is your
duty to seek to create a more human and just world order. Thus, it is only
through your relentless commitment to positive and purposeful change
that you can meaningfully address the prevailing social, cultural and
economic realities that have subjected millions of people in Africa, Asia,
Latin America and elsewhere to hunger, poverty, disease and squalor.
There are no reasons to justify such state of affairs.
I view this assembly as a beacon of progress and the basis upon which the
youth can position themselves as active and dedicated citizens of the
world. It is also pleasing to note that the World Assembly of Youth has
been mobilising young people to participate in nation-building efforts in
their respective countries. The World Assembly of Youth has also been
harnessing the energies and potential of the youth to overcome the social
and economic challenges. These efforts must be welcomed and
encouraged, as a way of empowering the youth and making them active
participants in the process of socio-economic development and the
establishment of a just and humane world order.
Thus, as you continue to participate in important discussions in this
Assembly, you must espouse a vision of a brighter future and work on new
methods that will enable you to tackle the challenges that you will face
along the way. It will not be easy, however, through determined action
and commitment you will achieve your objectives.
Master of Ceremonies,
The youth have a responsibility to demand from their leaders to bring an
end to the damaging and unnecessary wars which are taking place in
some parts of the world. They must take a leading role and impress it upon
their leaders to always advance and pursue peaceful solutions to conflicts.
In fact, I urge you to always aim to create a world free from armed conflicts
and civil wars so that humankind can live in total peace and harmony
without the threat of war. You are the future leaders and the onus is on
your shoulders to find ways and means of preventing conflicts so that
countries can live at peace with their neighbours and within themselves.
I would therefore like to wish you all productive and fruitful deliberations
as you tackle the important and difficult issues which are before you during
this 14th General Assembly of the Youth.
I hope that unity of purpose and action will be your guiding light as you
ponder and discuss various challenges that face humanity today, including,
the danger of HIV/Aids and come up with useful insights and practical
suggestions on how Governments, civil society and other stakeholders can
address them to ensure prosperity of all our peoples.
With these few words, I now take this opportunity to declare the 14th
General Assembly of World Assembly of Youth officially open.
I thank you.