The tenth in an ongoing series of informal breakfast dialogues co-convened by the Baha'i International Community, International Movement ATD Fourth World and Women's Environment and Development Organization focused on the role of youth in the development agenda. Opening remarks were delivered by Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN, and by Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth (view programme). Among other things, the discussion focused on the challenges facing youth today (e.g. unemployment, lack of access to information, lack of good governance) as well as the role that youth can play as protagonists of development, rather than passive recipients of development assistance.  It is not only the UN’s obligation to foster youth participation and to focus on building the capacity of youth—a partnership is needed between all facets of society (e.g. educational institutions, media, governments, communities) to address this. Youth issues must also be examined regionally in order to recognize the diverse cultural and economic circumstances and pressures impacting the lives of young people today. The Sri Lankan Ambassador also noted that his country will host the World Youth Conference in 2014. (View informal notes)