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The Youth Volunteering and Dialogue

International Conference

H.E. Dr Ziad Aldrees, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

ointly organized by the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the

Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education and the King

Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND), the

Youth Volunteering and Dialogue conference, (Jeddah,

Saudi Arabia, 3-5 December 2013), focused on the

scope and direction of youth volunteering in a diverse

global world.

The initiative built on UNESCO’s vast experience in this domain

as well as on the active promotion of volunteering by the Saudi

Arabian Government, both within the country as a social, ethical

and humanitarian engagement, and as part of a wider strategy

to strengthen dialogue and understanding among young people

from different countries and cultural backgrounds.

The conference was part of the cooperation agreement

signed in 2010 with Prince Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud,

the Minister of Education of Saudi Arabia, in support of

the Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Programme for a

Culture of Peace and Dialogue.

During the three-day event, over 300 young people from

39 different countries explored different approaches to

volunteering in the region and beyond. The young volun-

teers, practitioners and experts were provided with a variety

of platforms (exhibition and workshops) for displaying and

comparing the diversity of volunteering with a view to releas-

ing its transformative power.

The conference consisted of a high-level segment with

representatives of stakeholder organizations, and several

youth workshops exploring the potential of fostering

dialogue through volunteering – showcasing of best

practices, displays at an exhibition and other concrete

experiences with a wide variety of young volunteers, youth

policymakers and youth empowerment organizations. In

addition, the host country authorities organized cultural

events and participatory visits.

Speakers at the second session of the conference, where the focus was on humanitarian aid, one of the most visible faces of youth volunteering

Image: Min. of Edu., KSA

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