Beirut- The Middle East Youth Initiative has announced that the initiative will organize a youth conference in Beirut, Lebanon, with the motto, “Youth and building a free future” from June 8 to June 9 with the participation of many youth organizations.

“Youth are the driving force for change in societies,” said the statement released by the initiative on Tuesday. “However, the capitalist modernity's soft warfare seeks to transform this power into a negative energy that distracts attention from national issues and the real challenges facing youth and societies. Soft warfare involves the use of the media and the promotion of consumerist and materialistic values, which leads to the dissipation of youth energy and diverts their attention to matters unrelated to their national interest, making them fodder for wars and victims of unemployment and drugs.”

During the two-day conference, youth will discuss many issues such as the future of the Middle East and North Africa, the existing problems and crises in the Middle East and North Africa and the ways and means to solve them and women's freedom issues to launch “a youth intellectual revival based on free will, justice and equality among all people and nations regardless of gender, race, religion and creed, to create a youthful intellectual renaissance.”

The statement released by the initiative continues as follows:

“Youth play a crucial role in shaping the future. They are the driving and creative force that contributes to the development of societies and progress. Young people become innovators, rights defenders, and participants in social and political action as vanguard and leaders. By educating themselves, developing their skills and preserving their privacy and will, young people can be a key factor and vanguard in achieving positive change and building a better future.

We, the Middle East and North Africa Youth Initiative, are organising a youth conference under the slogan: (Youth and building a free future) which brings together many youth movements conscious of their historical role with the aim of discussing issues that concern us as youth and the future of our homelands, discussing existing problems, issues and crises and searching for appropriate ways and means to solve them, fighting intolerance and dogmatic beliefs in all their forms, discussing women's freedom issues, activating the role of youth in the Middle East and North Africa, and launching a youth intellectual revival based on free will, justice and equality among all people and nations regardless of gender, race, religion and creed, to create a youthful intellectual renaissance.

In order to realize our common goals and lay the foundations for joint action, we decided to meet and gather through the assembly, with the aim to build and strengthen coordination between youth organisations in the region, and approaching responsibly towards all crucial issues. In order to rise and emerge together from under the rubble in the midst of the fires of the wars raging in the region to shape our common destiny and determine the features of our future by our will on the foundations of freedom and democratic socialism.To build a free and dignified life that ensures coexistence and achieves justice and equality for all sects, components and genders, in accordance with the principles of humanity and a decent life.

Calling on all youth organizations and personalities to attend the conference Middle East Youth Initiative. We, the vanguard youth, are the power and the hope. Let us work together for a more humane, just and prosperous world.”

The organizing committee of the Middle East Youth Initiative Conference consists of:

Iraqi Democratic Youth Union, Student section of the Yemeni Socialist Party, Syriac Progressive Youth Union, Youth Movement for Future Mauritania, Progressive Youth Union (Egypt), Young Women's Union, Armenian Social Council Youth, Nabraa Tim Kosh Foundation for Heritage, Culture and Philanthropy, Democratic Syria Youth Council, Beth Nahrin National Union Youth, Kurdistan Youth Organization, Youth of the Syrian Revolutionary Left Current, Kurdistan Students and Youth Renaissance Organization, Alternative Path Youth Egypt, Sudanese Communist Party Youth, Kurdistan Youth Union, Peoples Democratic Conference Youth Council, Yemen Writers and Activists Collective, Humanitarian Aid Society for Women and Children in Afghanistan and Activists from Western Sahara.