Established in 1999, the Youth Forum has become an integral part of UNESCO's highest decision-making body - the General Conference. It brings together young delegates from all over the world to exchange views, share experiences and identify common opportunities and challenges. 

This unique regular platform, within the United Nations System, allows youth to submit recommendations to Member States representatives. It has brought together more than 500 youth voices from across the world to discuss on "How Youth Drive Change". 210 youth delegates of the Youth Forum, representing 127 member states met at Paris, France from 17th to 20th October 2011.

At the forum, one of the sessions that Siti Hazirah Binte Mohamad (NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Year 1) actively participated in was the debate on Culture for Diversity, Dialogue and Development. She made recommendations and listed examples based on her experience in Singapore with regards to the utilization of languages and the decreasing interest in mother tongue languages, as well as the local efforts to preserve them. Siti also emphasized on the strict laws against child labour and exploitation of children in Singapore and urged the Member States representatives to examine and implement these laws in their countries to ensure that child labour exploitation do not continue. 

Siti has benefited much through the Youth Forum and would definitely like to participate in the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum if invited.  

AIESEC is the world's largest youth-run organisation, with its presence in over 113 countries and territories and with over 86,000 members. Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development, AIESEC offers young people the opportunity to be global citizens, to change the world, and to get experience and skills that matter today.

Founded in 1964, AIESEC Taiwan held its Winter National Conference from 2nd to 7th February 2012. This conference aims to connect AIESEC young talents from China and east Asia and establish good relationship with the Taiwanese young talents. During the six-day conference, it provided 400 delegates the opportunity and platform to discuss and exchange cultural views that can help to build a sustainable future. 

Tan Qi (NUS Faculty of Science, Year 3) was greatly inspired on the importance of youth and had developed a deep understanding of Taiwanese cultures and traditions through the array of activities held during the Conference. 

The Northeast Asian Network (NEAN) is an international student forum hosted annually by the students of Yonsei University. Since 2001, it has been one of the largest conferences in the world that is solely organised by students. NEAN deals with issues in Asia and helps to facilitate discussions amongst global leaders. 

NEAN Forum 2012 took place in the Sinchon main campus of Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea from 6th to 11th February 2012. Centered around the theme of "Shifting World Order: Northeast Asia's New Direction", the forum offered all participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of various Asian and environmental issues, cultivate international leadership and forge friendships between delegates from all over the world. Five topics were discussed during the conference, namely Politics, Business, Law, Environment and Education. 

Soh Yi Da (NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Year 2) led his group, which comprised of his Korean and Chinese counterparts, and played the role of the Chinese delegation represented at a North-East Asian Summit by drafting and adopting a declaration that would foster greater regional cooperation and democratisation. Through this experience, he was able to assess the latest developments and trends in China and the culture of Korea through the keen sharing sessions with his fellow team members. 

Overall, he has gained a better appreciation of the shifting socio-cultural trends in the Northeast Asian society as well as the heightened sense of global competition that dawned on the current generation of Singaporeans. This trip inspired a greater interest in him towards Northeast Asia and strengthened his optimism in the rise of Asia. Being part of the NUS Political Association Club, he would like to introduce the best practices he has learnt from the NEAN Forum, e.g. the Diplomatic Roundtable to the Club's upcoming event, Asia 99 Summit. Indubitably, he will also extend an invitation to these foreign student leaders from Northeast Asia to the event. 

The HKMUN Conference 2012 aims to promote the MUN culture in the region and world peace through the understanding and cooperation between cultures, as well as attracting youth attention on global issues. Young delegates will gather and discuss current world issues, such as economic development, disarmament and critical issues of war and peace. Held from 9th to 12th February 2012, this conference served as a platform for aspiring future leaders and foreign diplomats to represent their respective countries with the intention to develop viable solutions to the various problems discussed. 

This conference has provided Ankit Tibrewal (NUS School of Computing, Year 4) with international exposure as he worked with young delegates from various countries. In one of the sessions, Ankit along with his committee, represented Bolivia and went into a two-day intensive discussion on the ongoing drug abuse issues around the world. Towards the end of the session, the team managed to propose a viable solution in addressing this issue. 

Ankit was given ample opportunities and exposure during the HKMUN Conference to hone his leadership and communication skills by putting forward individual views while convincing others during discussions. He also developed a better understanding of the workflow and procedures of the United Nations. Last but not least, the social exchanges with the rest of the delegates from other countries were an invaluable networking experience for Ankit as well. 

Held from 8 – 13 Nov 2005, the World Students' Tourism Summit 2005 was hosted by Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Oita Prefecture and Beppu City.

The Summit aimed to develop human resources in the tourism industry through encouraging and enhancing the qualities of people who played leading roles in the future of tourism, by facilitating scholarly exchange between students and tourism experts from all over the world. A total of 461 students from 37 countries and 78 universities participated in the summit.

The Asia Pacific Student Leadership Workshop (ASPIRE) 2005 was held from 27 to 30 August 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hosted by the University of Malaya, the workshop was well attended by student participants from the region.

Various economic, environmental and educational issues were discussed. Participants gained a better understanding and appreciation of the challenges facing the region and beyond. This was the first time that NUS student leaders took part in the workshop.

The Delta Forum 2005 was held from 24 July to the 29 July 2005 in Hong Kong. It was an opportunity for students living or studying within the Pan Pearl River Delta to exchange ideas about the growth and opportunities in a region known for its economic contribution to China and beyond.

Participants gained a clear and relevant understanding of the development of the Pearl River Delta and the extended Pan Pearl River Delta. This was the first time NUS students participated in the Forum.

The annual event sees tertiary students all over East Asia break new grounds in regional cooperation by forging mutual international understanding, bridging the perceptual gap among communities in East Asia and creating a youth network.

15 NUS students were selected to participate in the inaugural event held in South Korea in August 2004.

Held annually at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, this event serves as a platform for 200 students from around the world to discuss global developments and vital issues of the present and future with over 600 outstanding personalities from business, science and politics.

Student participants vie for the Wings of Excellence Award for outstanding and groundbreaking idea, essay or project. NUS students consistently participate in this event.

The HYLI is a community relations programme which aims to identify and groom potential Asian leaders by bringing them together to discuss regional issues and establish contacts with influential government officials, prominent business leaders, NGO representatives and respected academics.

HYLI also offers student participants a platform to broaden their outlook on regional and global issues while promoting Asian values and cross-cultural understanding.

The Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative 2012 is now open for application. For more details, please click here. 

In this colourful biannual event, about 450 enquiring minds are immersed in days of thought-provoking discussions, exciting cultural events and social activities. The event is held to promote tolerance and understanding, and allows people of different backgrounds to share their ideas, knowledge and experience. Participants are hosted by a Norwegian family during the Festival.

Co-organised by a Harvard student body and host university, this event gives participants an opportunity to rub minds with prominent personalities from the fields of politics, business, and education among others. This is to promote youth involvement in crucial global issues of these times. The forum is held annually in a different university in an Asia-Pacific country.

In this event focused on student leadership, student union representatives share their views on issues common to student leaders in Asia and Europe. The conference also aims to facilitate the establishment of an Asia-Europe Network of Student Unions.

It is organised by the Asia Europe Foundation and supported by a local federation of student unions in the host country.

Held as a part of the Asian University Presidents’ Conference in Fukuoka, Japan, this event brings together students from University and pre-university institutions across Asia to present different perspectives on events that will carve the future of Asia.

The discussion touched on, inter alia, education, poverty, environment, Asian unity and the role of students in tackling the social malaise besetting Asia.

This annual six-week programme at the Iacocca Institute in Lehigh University, US, has been developed to enable students from around the world to gain insight and skills on business and industry, leadership, entrepreneurial ventures, cross-cultural business practices and global networking.

About three NUS students are shortlisted each year to attend the programme.