“The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Production and Consumption”- topic of this year’s International Youth Day

Belgrade, 12 August 2016 - The  International Youth Day will be marked by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the spirit of reaffirmation and recognition of the central role of young people in promoting the well-being of their families, communities and nations.

This year’s theme, “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Production and Consumption”, couldn’t be more relevant and timely, states UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. “Globally, large youth populations represent a historic opportunity to introduce progress and adopt innovative solutions to ignite this change. Central to the efforts of realizing youth potential must be the promotion of access to education, health services, including sexual and reproductive health and family planning. These combined interventions are critical in order to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, strengthen the resilience of populations in the face of all challenges and seize the opportunities of the new economy”, adds Dr. Osotimehin.

When it comes to youth reproductive health in our country, based on the experience from direct assistance, many young people have no basic knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of reproduction, and that their knowledge of contraception and sexually transmitted infections is scarce and burdened with prejudices.

Ms. Marija Rakovic, Programme Coordinator at UNFPA Serbia, explains that the most common sources of information for youth are peers, the media and internet.  “Having in mind the growing use of internet and mobile devices by youth today, we must rely on these resources in order to reach youth and help them achieve their full potential,” adds Rakovic.

Therefore, as in previous years, Centar E8 is organizing an event to celebrate International Youth Day, in order to draw attention of the general public on the importance of young people, their problems and the need and to encourage their active participation in the society. This year with the support of UNFPA, as part of the PaziSe(x) project, Centar E8 will organize activities related to sexual reproductive health and try to increase awareness about the importance of protection. The promotion and education on sexual reproductive health is extremelly important especially because young people, between 13 and 19 years, become sexually mature. Therefore, it is extremely important to have forhand and adequate information in order to protect themselves from threatening behaviors and in the safest way to set foot in a sexually mature age without consequences. The event will take place at Ada Ciganlija between 16-19 pm at the beginning of the promenade in object of JP "Ada Ciganlija". Team of trainers will animate visitors which will include taking pictures in  PaziSe(x) photo booth, raising awareness on sexually transmitted diseases, protection from unwanted pregnancy, etc.