An initiative of the United Nations, International Youth Day was first celebrated on 12 August 2000, to raise awareness about the many cultural and legal issues facing youth.
According to UN data, there are 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 living in the world today. One of the biggest challenges they face is a global education crisis. This crisis is so visible, in the fact, that while the majority of young people currently attend school, half of all children aged 6 to 14 years old lack basic reading and maths skills. Hence, on this International Youth Day, the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs and UNESCO are calling for transformation within education systems to become more inclusive, equitable and relevant for the realities of the 21st century.