THE FOREIGN SECRETARY INAUGURATES THE Y20 MEXICO SUMMIT

• Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Puebla Governor Rafael Moreno Valle, and IMJUVE Director Miguel Angel Carreon, welcomed the more than 130 international delegates to Mexico who will be participating in the Y20 Mexico Summit for Youth Delegates.

• The Y20 Mexico Delegates Summit was organized for international youth under the Mexican presidency of the G20.

The inaugural ceremony of the Y20 Mexico Delegates Summit was held this morning in the Puebla Convention Center. Y20 Mexico was organized for international youth under the Mexican presidency Group of 20 (G20).

The welcoming ceremony was attended by Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Puebla Governor Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas and IMJUVE Director General Miguel Angel Carreon.

In her speech, the Foreign Secretary wished every success to the meeting and said that youths are an essential part of the development of any country. She further said that the summit would be an inspiration to all youths. She also reminded delegations that they are an essential part of the discussions about the most pressing issues on the G20 agenda.

IMJUVE Director Miguel Angel Carreon discussed the importance of including the participants in the disuccions on issues of great importance for international youth, and he invited the delegates to hold an open discussion to propose constructive ideas, given that youths are a part of global solutions.

Puebla Governor Rafael Moreno Valle stressed how important it is for Mexico to chair the G20, the need for new solutions to old problems and to build a path to development by using innovative ideas. He invited the youth delegates to propose ways to take big steps towards a better future.

As part of the Youth Summit, over 130 delegates from the G20 member countries and special guests of the Mexican presidency will draft a document that they have already begun to negotiate online.

The conclusions of the Y20 delegates will be distributed during the Leaders Summit in June on behalf of the youth of the G20, in order for the leaders to learn firsthand about the most pressing challenges on the agenda and the proposals to address them from the perspective of today’s youths.

In order to enrich the document will be delivered at the Leaders Summit, the Y20 Mexico delegations will hold interactive sessions with social entrepreneurs and national and international experts on issues of green growth, youth employment and sustainable development, among others. At these sessions, the youths may express their concerns regarding the most pressing challenges of the G20 agenda.

The Y20 Mexico Delegates Summit will end on Friday, May 11 with a ceremony in which President Felipe Calderón will receive  the youths’ recommendations.