Yerevan, 13 August 2012– International Youth Day is marked in Armenia today by announcement of a Youth Short Film Contest on Human Rights in Digital Age which is aimed at promoting knowledge of youth on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

The aim of the competition is to raise awareness among young people on human rights in the digital age, to give youth the opportunity to tackle this topic from a creative point of view, promote human rights defenders successes and to offer an opportunity to participate in the Human Rights Day celebration. The best films will be awarded and screened on the Human Rights Day in Yerevan. 

Young people are invited to submit their short film for contest. The link is here: 

The same event will simultaneously take place in other UN Member States. The award ceremony in Armenia will be live broadcast, giving an opportunity to youth from different countries to talk to each other via internet, promoting international dialogue, building tolerance and sharing their experiences in promotion of human rights.

”Working with and for young people is one of my top priorities. Youth are a transformative force; they are creative, resourceful and enthusiastic agents of change, be it in public squares or cyberspace”, said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. 

“We need to establish more and stronger mechanisms for youth participation. The time has come to integrate youth voices more meaningfully into decision-making processes at all levels. I call on Governments, the private sector, civil society and academia to further open doors for young people and strengthen partnerships with youth-led organizations,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon added.

The contest is being organized by the UN Department of Public Information Yerevan Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Population Fund, UN Development Programme, OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Council of Europe with the support of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The International Day of Youth is being marked worldwide on August 12 since 1999, by the decision of the United Nations General Assembly. This decision highlights the importance that UN Member States give to youth issues including them in their national, regional and global agenda.