The major role of youth in making decisions and building a better future is the subject of the International Youth Day, celebrated on August 12, this year’s theme being “Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth”, reports Info-Prim Neo, quoting a communique from UNFPA’s Moldovan office. On the occasion of the International Youth Day, a press conference was held today involving the Ministry of Youth and Sports, along with UNFPA, the UN population fund, OSCE, and the National Youth Council (CNTM). During the conference, the speakers have praised the increased attention given to the involvement of youth in the decision-making process, and the opportunities that are available for partnerships with youth in Moldova. Minister of Youth and Sports Ion Cebanu communicated that celebrating the International Youth Day in Moldova once again emphasizes their role and importance for society, and offers new opportunities for their assertion within different fields of activity. “The Ministry of Youth and Sports support the NGOs and youth initiative groups, especially those who organize informal educational activities and voluntary works aiming at the development of personal abilities and capacities necessary for their integration into society. At the same time, we call on all youth to involve and become active members within their communities, because their present and future belongs only to them”, stated the Minister. Boris Gilca, assistant representative of UNFPA in Moldova, praised the successes registered by Moldova and the effort put in by the Government for the youth to become important actors in the development of society. “The involvement and participation of youth is indispensable to the democratic decision-making process and for a long-lasting development of society. This is why we have agreed with the government partners on the direct involvement of youth leaders in the 1994-2012 Action Plan Evaluation, of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994) – an exercise of crucial importance in which the Government is currently involved”, stated Boris Gilca. However, says the UNFPA official, a reason for concern is the unequal development and opportunities for rural youth, who for the most part lack universal access to information and quality education, which ultimately puts the development of their potential into disadvantage. Paula Redondo Alvarez-Palencia, program assistant at the OSCE Mission, said that the Mission is interested in cooperating with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and wants to facilitate the involvement of youth from the eastern side of the Nistru. One of the important involvements of youth, on a local level, is their participation in the evaluation process of the Action Plan of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994), in which Moldova is to indicate the sizeable achievements and the segments that still need intervention. Also, in the series of actions dedicated to the youth, and which fit into the International Youth Day theme, are the “Informed and Protected” summer camps, the extension of the youth-friendly Health Centers to all districts, the organization of courses for the strengthening of capacities for workers with youth. Additionally, the evaluation of the National Strategy for Youth, the creation of co-management structures in 5 pilot-districts, as well as the monitoring of public budgets in the youth sector of all local public authorities in the country, and the organization of the Social Theater Festival. The celebration of the International Youth Day on August 12 was designated by the UN General Assembly in 1999.