Each year on 12 August, International Youth Day (IYD) is assigned a theme; a conceptual slogan that communicates the scope, direction, and objectives of the year’s youth initiatives and that also provides a unifying banner from under which individuals can draw the inspiration to take action. The theme chosen for International Youth Day 2012 – Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth – is a global call to action for young men and women, as well as other stakeholders around the world, to develop and engage in partnerships with and for youth towards building a better world. International Youth Day 2012 provides an important opportunity to build upon the priorities of the Secretary-General’s Action Agenda, as well as to respond to calls from youth organizations and UN Member States around the world to strengthen mechanisms for partnerships with young people by exploring various and innovative ways that the United Nations, Member States, civil society, the private sector, academia and philanthropists effectively partner and collaborate with young people, especially in the areas of employment, entrepreneurship, political inclusion, citizenship and protection of rights, and education, including on sexual and reproductive health. International Youth Day 2012 aims to highlight good practices in developing and expanding successful partnerships with young people, and to put forward concrete recommendations on how the United Nations and stakeholders around the world can build and enhance partnerships with youth. “To unleash the power of young people, we need to partner with them.” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
