The theme of the second annual World Bank Group Youth Summit taking place on the eve of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings was “The Need for Open and Responsive Governments.” The Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth was proud to collaborate on this initiative that brought together high-level plenary sessions and tailored workshops on the three sub-themes of transparency, accountability, and collaboration.
More than 400 young civil society and NGO leaders, students, government officials, technical experts and practitioners from around the globe joined the interactive conversations at the World Bank in Washington DC, with hundreds connecting via World Bank Live, and through video chat from World Bank Country Offices around the world.
The UN Youth Envoy participated a plenary panel on the Role of Youth in Inclusive Governments, with Mario Marcel, Senior Director, Governance Global Practice at the World Bank Group, Edith Jibunoh, Civil Society Adviser to the World Bank Group, Nigel Chapman, President and CEO of Plan International and Frank Vogl, Co-Founder of Transparency International.
“There is a difference between democracy and democratization,” said Mr. Alhendawi “Youth led social movements are critical to the political process and democracy. Young people want to join around movements and issues, not organizations. To keep young people engaged, we need quick wins.”
During lunch, a delegation of attendees from the United Nations joined youth focal points from across the World Bank Group to discuss collaborations and synergies between both organizations. The open discuss provided a platform to explore tangible ways staff of both organizations could effectively leverage resources and knowledge to support and further areas of common interest. 
The event used the hashtag #wbgyouthsummit. Learn more about the Summit at http://bit.ly/wbgyouthsummit14