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United Nations World Conference of Ministers Responsible for
Youth
Portugal is celebrated the 500 year anniversary of Vasco da Gama’s journey of discovery to India
by hosting a number of significant events, including Expo ‘98. The Third World Youth Forum of
the United Nations System took place in Braga, North Portugal, 2 - 7 August, 1998 followed by
the International Youth Festival in Lisbon, and culminating in the United Nations World Conference
of Ministers Responsible for Youth (organised by the Government of Portugal and supported by
the United Nations).
Delegations from approximately 150 countries were present, each consisting of between 2 and 20
members, together with ‘other organisations having received a standing invitation to participate
as observers in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly’ e.g. the Commonwealth
Secretariat and the Organisation of African Unity. Subdivisions of the United Nations were
also represented e.g. UNESCO, UNDP, UNEP etc. The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU)
was invited to attend along with approx. 30 other non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The Forum was officially opened with a flag-hoisting ceremony followed by a plenary session
in which Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of Portugal, the
Prime Minister of Portugal and the Minister for Youth gave opening speeches. Common to all
their statements was a call to the international community to recognise and empower the
tremendous potential within young people, to encourage their greater participation at all
levels of society, to break down barriers of gender, religion and race and to foster human
and spiritual values as the foundation for building a better world. There was a feeling of
urgency that solutions need to be found to solve the vast array of human problems, as we
enterd the new Millennium.
The programme for each day of the conference consisted simultaneously of:
At the end of each Plenary Session, three slots were available for NGOs to make their statements.
In some cases, NGOs were requested to form small coalitions with a common interest and deliver a
combined statement. NGOs were also invited to give presentations or workshops at Luciada University,
a ten-minute walk away from the conference centre. Regular lunchtime meetings were also arranged
for NGOs to discuss their work and to ‘network’ with one another.
The aim of the Brahma Kumaris representation was to share views with other organisations and
individuals, to create a network for future partnerships and correspondence, and to present
the BK viewpoint on matters concerning youth to the Plenary Session and working groups. There
were many opportunities to meet individuals informally and the topic of values and spirituality,
especially within the context of education and citizenship, provided common ground for meaningful
and heartfelt conversations.
A speaking slot of five minutes in the final Plenary Session was allocated to the Brahma Kumaris.
A summary of the BKWSU official statement to the UN was prepared, to be delivered by Ilesha Patel
(Gopi), youth representative from Oxford, UK. However the Plenary Session exceeded its scheduled
time with the result that the slot was no longer available. In compensation the Brahma Kumaris were
given special permission to distribute literature to the desk of every delegation in the Plenary
Session.
Representatives of the Brahma Kumaris attended several of the working groups and at one of these
Sheena Patel, youth representative from London, UK, took the opportunity to give an informal three
minute speech, focusing on the work of the Brahma Kumaris in the field of education and its
contribution to ‘Living Values: an Educational Programme’ (LVEP).
Her speech attracted considerable
interest, particularly from the Minister for Youth, Employment and Sports from Fiji who asked for
further details.
A presentation/workshop on LVEP was arranged at Luciada University of Lisbon on Tuesday 11 August,
presented by Helen Sayers, UK, and Pedro Miguel, youth representative from Lisbon. Despite a
ten-minute walk along a busy highway in 40 degrees heat, two enthusiastic NGO representatives
attended and plans for integrating the programme in projects taking place in India, Africa and
Singapore were discussed. A positive connection was made with the authorities at Luciada University,
who saw the potential of LVEP for both teachers and students at the University, and a training
programme is being arranged for September.
Among the many connections that were established were Dr. Delois Blakely, Community Mayor of Harlem
who is organising a Peace March for one million young people in New York later that year, Mrs Maria
Helena Henriques Mueller, co-ordinator for UNESCO, Mr Leonidas Mushokolwa, General Secretary of
the Pan-African Youth Movement, Prince Gumiza Dlamini, Minister of Home Affairs in Swaziland, and
Mrs Hanifa Mezoui, Chief of the NGO section of ECOSOC
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