KUWAIT CITY, March 10, (KUNA): Under the auspices of His Highness the Amir of the Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah inaugurated on Sunday the national youth conference, at Kuwait National Library.
Sheikh Jaber stressed on the importance, in the opening speech ceremony, and keenness of His Highness the Amir to support youth in all fields, and his trust on their capability being the true treasure and hope to the country.

Sheikh Jaber also pointed out that the youth bear responsibility in taking the initiative, and being creative toward the prosperity of their country, including finding solutions to social diseases, like tribalism and racism.

The premier added that the government supported youth movement which showed vitality of the society to achieve reforms and push forward the cycle of development under the constitution and law.
Afterward, Sheikh Jaber toured an exhibition held on the sideline of the conference and was briefed on various small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).

The conference was attended by ministers, Sheikhs and high ranking officials.

Information Minister and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, and Amiri Diwan Advisor and Chairman of the Higher Supervision Committee for National Youth Project Dr Yusuf Al-Ibrahim stressed here Sunday the significance of spurring young people to have positive societal participation.

The minister said the issue of youth was “in safe hands,” emphasizing that everybody in the country was responsible for youth and that it was shared responsibility to ensure the successful mission of the Ministry of Youth in this respect.

Addressing the National Youth Conference, which kicked off here earlier in the day, he said the task of the ministry’s officials was to protect youth and listen to them and to their views, lauding the “wonderful” National Youth Project initiative, which was launched by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Initiative
“The initiative has paved the way for us to get acquainted with the priorities of the youth and to share their concerns and problems,” he said.
“Through this project, we can involve the youth in the nation’s decision-making and future,” he said.
The minister said he understood the expectations of young people to have communications with different state agencies, citing Article 10 of the Constitution as providing for taking care of the young and maintaining communication among state agencies to fulfill the hopes and expectations of the new generation.

“Young people make up one third of the Kuwaiti population, a fact that increases our responsibilities and missions for developing this young category, “ he said.

The minister pointed to several initiatives aiming to serve young people, including a recent governmental initiative worth KD two billion to support small and medium-sized enterprises for youth.

For his part, Amiri Diwan Advisor and Chairman of the Higher Supervision Committee for National Youth Project Dr Yusuf Al-Ibrahim, also speaking at the same conference, said the National Youth Project was a springboard for continuing communication between decision-makers and young people as part of an institutional mechanism to urge youth to play a positive role in society.

“Let me seize this opportunity to thank the ministers and officials who have opened up their hearts, before their doors, to young people in order to listen to them and to have dialogue with them about ideas and suggestions,” he said.

He spoke highly of the project as a “unique initiative” in view of care, support and arrangement, citing relevant statements by experts and specialists.

The project is a unique experiment that is liable to about-face and revamp with a view to notching up the goals of building a future Kuwait with the help of its sons, he added.

He pointed to several suggestions forwarded to promote and develop this “march”, primarily a national youth council to follow up on dialogue, carry out proposals and maintain communication with young people.