by Isi Esene

Kofi Annan will lead a live dialogue with young people from all over the world, including One Young World representatives, addressing the subject of democracy and elections.

This is the third in a series of youth-oriented online discussions between Kofi Annan and young leaders that focus on themes central to the global challenges they face.

One Young World is working in partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation and the ITU to broadcast the Dialogue, which is taking place on Mandela Day. It is fitting that this dialogue is taking place on this day, since Nelson Mandela is such a great symbol of democracy, having fought to become the first democratically elected president in South Africa. The objectives and value of the Dialogues are to share and capture respective experiences, amplify the voice of youth, highlight their achievements and promote a new form of intergenerational, inclusive dialogue.

Nine One Young World representatives will have the unique opportunity to speak with the former UN Secretary General and put forward their views on global democracy.

Participants come from South Africa Egypt, Libya, Peru, France, Kenya, Brazil and Pakistan and will join a Google Hangout with Mr. Annan and One Young World co-founder, David Jones, who will dial in from ITUs Geneva studio.

Members of the public are encouraged to take part in the discussion via the website, http://dialogueslive.kofiannanfoundation.org/. This will act as a hub between the Dialogues for ongoing conversations about the issues arising. There will also be polling conducted that captures the concerns and aspirations of young people from around the world.

One Young World hosts an annual summit for outstanding young people, and last year brought together 1,300 delegates from 182 countries in Pittsburgh. During the closing ceremony of the One Young World Summit 2012, Mr. Annan addressed delegates and conducted a question and answer session from the floor.

The Kofi Annan Dialogues: LIVE series play a key role in building momentum towards the One Young World Summit 2013, taking place in Johannesburg 2-5 October.
 
David Jones, co-founder, One Young World, commented: “Young people across the world play an important role in promoting democracy and guaranteeing that elections are conducted with integrity and transparency. Engaging with influential figures such as Kofi Annan is fundamental to ensuring that young people continue to be the voice behind peaceful democratic change on a national and global scale. These Dialogues play a key role in building momentum towards One Young World 2013 and we are thrilled to be working with the Kofi Annan Foundation to inspire the next generation of global leaders.”
 
To participate in the second live dialogue
When: 18^th July 2013  15.00-16:30 CEST
Where: http://dialogueslive.kofiannanfoundation.org/
How: Send questions via Twitter:
#Kofiannanlive
#BYND15
#OYW
#WSIS