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Application Deadline: 15th August 2018
From 22 to 26 October 2018 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) organizes a Youth Forum that will take place at UNCTAD, in Geneva, Switzerland
as part of the UNCTAD 2018 World Investment Forum. If you are a student, a young entrepreneur, or a young professional between the ages of 18 to 30, and interested in trade and development issues, want to debate with other millennials from all continents
around the theme of Youth Entrepreneurship: A Force Towards Inclusive and Sustainable Growth, and to participate in the Forum, please read carefully what follows.
Objectives of the Forum
• Exchange experiences and strengthen a network of future leaders from around the world
• Have an interactive dialogue with global players involved in the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals where youth can raise awareness on issues they consider of major concern and what areas they want to see greater action taken on
• Raise greater awareness on UNCTAD’s work and projects with youth, and discuss how to
enhance youth involvement.
The 2018 UNCTAD Youth Forum will primarily focus on topics that relate to youth empowerment through entrepreneurship, with particular emphasis on investing in digital youth,
involving youth at the negotiation table, outlining the vision of millennials and how youth can think globally and act locally.
The Forum will gather around 250 youth from around the world, between the ages of 18 and 30 who are passionate about trade and development issues, and in exchanging local and global-focused experiences, ideas and best practices. The Forum will provide a platform for the
perspective of youth to be presented in the wider debate throughout the week. This will be
through workshops, TED-style plenary sessions, breakout sessions and networking events.
UNCTAD Youth Forum participants will also be able to attend public sessions of the World Investment Forum. Further information on social activities and logistics will be made
available in due course.
Criteria:
Participants in the Forum will be pre-selected based on the following criteria:
• Be between the age of 18 and 30
• Able to speak in and understand English
• Have a valid passport (for applicants outside of Switzerland)
- Have experience (from their studies or work) in the areas of UNCTAD’s work/focus.
Evidence of projects related to trade and development (academic and professional) will be considered as experience in the field. Participants will then be invited to describe their
experience in their video and/or letter of motivation (please see the application process section below).
Funding
- Participants are expected to identify their own sources of funding for their participation.
Application Process
The application process consists of two steps:
Step 1- Click here and fill in the online application form. Please ensure that you:
o Create a short video (maximum of two minutes and in mp4 format only) demonstrating
your motivation for wanting to participate in the UNCTAD Youth Forum. Creativity and
originality are encouraged. You can upload the video from a computer to either Youtube
or Vimeo as guided below:
o To YouTube:
1) Sign into your YouTube account;
2) Click on “Upload” at the top of the page;
3) Select the video you would like to upload from your computer;
4) Click “Publish” to finish uploading. Set the video privacy setting Unlisted
5) Click “Done” to finish the upload and click “Share” to privately share your video.
For more guidance, please click here
o To Vimeo:
1) Sign into your Vimeo account;
2) Click the “Up load Video” button which is located on the home page of the site;
3) Once you click the upload link, you will be taken to the upload page;
4) Click the “Choose a File to Upload” button which will launch an upload dialog box. Choose the file that you want to upload and then click on “Select”.
For more guidance, please click here
o Fully complete the online application form, including the URL of your video and your letter
of motivation (300 words maximum). The letter of motivation should address the following points:
o Why do you want to participate in UNCTAD Youth Forum?
o In which way do you intend to contribute to the Forum?
o What knowledge and skills have you gathered from any previous experience or education
and how will these enrich the conversation and actions moving forward?
Step 2 – Provide a letter of recommendation from a high-level official or authority at a University, Institution or Business. The letter must be sent to the email address
unctadyouth @unctad.org and clearly mention your name.
Selection Criteria
- The UNCTAD Youth Forum is designed for a maximum of 250 participants from around the world.
- The selection criteria will be based on principles of equitable geographical representation, balanced gender distribution, diversity of backgrounds (e.g. age, areas of studies and additional experience), and the quality of the supporting material attached with the applications, (e.g. originality in the video and letter of motivation). A Committee from UNCTAD will select the Youth Forum participants.
- If you are not selected to attend the Youth Forum in Geneva, you can still engage through preparatory discussions that will feed into discussions at the Youth Forum and follow the event via social media (Facebook and Twitter @UNCTADYouth and Instagram @UNCTADYouthForum).
- Successful applicants will be notified by no later than 10 August 2018.
- An announcement will be made on social media once the selection process has been completed.
Conditions to Participate
- Full time attendance at the Forum by the selected participants is mandatory. Participants should be committed to invest time to prepare for and actively participate in the Youth Forum.
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