The Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement organizes a unique International Youth Forum

The Forum, which will be planned, organized and run by youth aims to bring together young people from all parts of the world, in an effort to highlight their enormous potential as change-makers. It will give them the opportunity to voice their needs, exchange ideas and best practices, join forces and help youth strengthen their capacity to address sources of conflict in their environments and devise positive and peaceful suggestions to these key issues.

At a gathering which included young Egyptian participants, local and international partners, the First Lady discussed the importance of integrating the practical insights and positive contributions of young people.

"Youth are central to the process of peace," Her Excellency Mrs. Mubarak said, "not just because they are the stakeholders of our future but because many of them are already playing decisive roles in shaping our present."

The Forum will help to bring the stories of over 600 young people from 100 different countries into focus. It will present them with a platform to explore various themes together, which take into consideration the important interdependency between peace and human security. These topics include culture, health, the media, youth participation, social entrepreneurship, skill formation, and information technology among others.

In her closing remarks, Mrs. Mubarak underscored the Movement's plan to initiate a Youth Unit in Egypt that will serve to maintain the momentum of the Forum, keeping participants connected, and creating an international network of young people invested in working together to service their respective communities and nations.

Mrs. Mubarak also announced the launch of the International Youth Forum website www.powerofyouthforpeace.org. The interactive, dual English/Arabic language website offers a wealth of information about the Forum including news updates, details about the event itself and media information. During the Forum, the site will be updated with a synopsis immediately following each session and with a review of the events at the end of each day.

The Forum is backed by an impressive list of sponsors including the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchanges, Dreamland, Egyptian Cement Company, El Gouna, Ezz Dikheila, Microsoft Unlimited Potential, National Bank of Egypt, Orascom Telecom, Taba Heights, Nike, Artoc Group, Xceed, Cisco, Aboul Fetouh Group - Esperanza, British Petroleum, MSA University, Egypt Air, Cairo Cotton Center, BG Egypt, AR Publication and Advertising Agency, Commercial International Bank, the Mortgage Finance Company, Sinai University, the World Bank, UNDP, UNIFEM, UNICEF, United Nations Information Centre, AFS, AIESEC, and the Youth Employment Summit (YES).