Youth Ambassador Yasser Salimi Presents at ISESCO International Youth Conference in Tunis

Yasser Salimi, a Middle East Youth Initiative Youth Ambassador from Tehran, Iran, presented a paper titled "The Role of the Islamic World's Youth in Fostering Dialogue Among Civilizations" at the International Conference on Youth Issues in the Islamic World: Present and Future Challenges in Tunis on November 25. Yasser, a Master's candidate in International Relations, also serves as a Board member for the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation.

The conference took place from November 24 to 26 and aimed to strengthen the role of youth in comprehensive development and to advance the values of intercivilizational dialogue, coexistence, tolerance and moderation. It concluded with the signing of the Tunis Covenant on 'Promoting Muslim Youth and Enhancing their Status in the Muslim World.' The conference, which was organized by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and the Tunisian Ministry of Youth, Sports and Physical Education, featured speakers such as the Director General of ISESCO; heads of regional and international organizations; ministers of youth, education, and culture; and international experts on youth and education issues. The closing session was presided over by Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi.

When asked by the Middle East Youth Initiative to share some of his impressions from the conference, Yasser said: "I believe that the Tunis conference was a very important step in promoting the voices of Muslim youth in particular and youth around the world, in general. It was the first time that ISESCO held such a high level conference on youth issues. President Ben Ali's initiative to designate 2010 as 'World Youth Year' will attract more attention to youth issues globally. Further, the Tunis Covenant addresses the most important challenges faced by Muslim youth in the modern era and represents a milestone that will bring more attention to youth issues in the Islamic world."