World leaders attending the event spoke about the importance of governmental roles in supporting young people and executing their ideas.

:: Saudi Arabia’s MiSK Foundation held a one-day youth forum on tolerance in New York on Friday in partnership with the United Nations Development Program.

MiSK is a philanthropic foundation founded by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.

The event, which was attended by prominent figures from all over the world, aimed to reaffirm the vital youth role in fighting extremism and terrorism and achieving positive change in today’s world.

Key speakers included Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City; Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State of the United States; Dr. Deepak Chopra, an expert in the field of health and well-being; Achim Steiner, administrator of UNDP; and Mourad Wahba, UN Assistant Secretary-General.

The forum included workshops and panel discussions about a host of topics. World leaders attending the event spoke about the importance of governmental roles in supporting young people and executing their ideas.

Among the speakers was a Norwegian who said he wants to dedicate his life to combating terrorism and extremism all over the world and an Arab young man who voiced the importance of the Arab youth role in fighting extremism.

Commenting ahead of the forum, Bader Al Asaker, Secretary-General of the MiSK Foundation, said: “Youth in every corner of the world are innovating, creating and delivering solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Our aim with this event is to shine a light on the transformative power of youth, to lift them up and provide a platform for young people to contribute to positive change in the world.”

Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP, said: “Today’s generation of youth is the largest in history, and 90% of them live in developing countries. For these young people, the Sustainable Development Goals are not merely goals. For them, achieving the SDGs means the possibility of attending school, having access to healthcare, participating in their civic and political discourse, and living free from conflict. It means having hope and prosperity for their future.”