Mahathir to officiate Al Sharq youth conference
PUCHONG: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad would be officiating the Al Sharq Youth conference in Kuala Lumpur on May 1 and 2 this year.
Al Sharq which translates to the orient brings about youths from various races and faiths to bring about a new vision based on universal values from the various faiths. It intends to develop values through its think tank based on Asian socio-economic and diversity in culture.
It is an international NGO headquartered in Geneva and have offices in other cities such as London and Istanbul.
Al-Sharq Forum chose Malaysia as its venue due to the peaceful change of government last year.
“We chose Malaysia as the venue for our event because the change of government inspired many other Muslim countries,” said the NGO’s general coordinator Ibrahim Juneidi.
“Then there is also the diversity factor. There are many races living in one country. Malaysia is a small nation representing all nationalities,” he added.
The event is made up of a conference, exhibition on sustainable projects, workshops and Artnight involving 3,000 participants.
There would be 1,000 youth leaders made up from local, regional and foreigners. Upto 40 speakers will be participating.
Other dignitaries speaking at this event include Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. CIMB Islamic CEO Rafe Haneef is also a speaker at the event.
The local key partners include Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry. The Malaysian Youth Council (MBM), Penang Skill Development Centre.
International partners include the Middle Eastern based international broadcaster, Al-Jazeera.
Al Sharq Forum is the brainchild of one of the Al-Jazeera’s former director general, Wadah Khanfar.
