Message Of Miss Margaret J. Anstee Director General Of The United Nations Office At Vienna And Head Centre For Social Development And Humanitarian Affairs At The Official Opening Of The International Youth Centre Kuala Lumpur, 16 April 1988.

I take great pleasure in conveying my warmest greetings and best wishes to the participants at this opening ceremony of the International Youth Centre established by the Government of Malaysia under the patronage of his Excellency the Prime Minister of Malaysia. We are grateful to cottness the creation of the International Youth Centre, which envied from a national organization. We are also pleased that the United Nations played a role in this concrete example of multilateral co-operation efforts.

The importance of adequate and proper training for youth workers and youth leaders in ensuring the participation of youth in development has been emphasized by the guidelines for further planning and suitable follow-up in the field of youth, an international instrument adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. The guidelines provide contours of a global strategy for youth programmes on a long-term basis. In particular, they invited governments to give higher priority to technical and vocational educational programmes for young people, to develop and strengthen policies and programmes for the training of professional workers leaders, and to create and support innovative schemes for training and vocational preparation to provide young people with practical experience aimed at employment and self-employment.

Assigning the responsibility of organizing international youth leadership training to Malaysia represented the recognition by the ASEAN Youth Co-Operation Council of the wide experience gained by this country in four priority training areas, the training of trainers in youth work, youth entrepreneurship development, vocational training for school dropouts and management of youth organizations.

The government of Malaysia has always played a very active and supportive role in promoting youth concerns. It has also been successful in its efforts to enhance the role of youth in national development activities. These were particularly evident during the International Youth Year. Given the expertise of this country in the field of youth training. I believe the International Youth Centre will provide an excellent base where other countries can shave and benefit from the exchange of experience and ideas in this vital field.

On behalf of the United Nations Office at Vienna Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs, I wish the International Youth would center every success in its endeavors.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CENTER
1. To enhance Malaysia's role in international youth activities.

2. To provide suitable facilities for National and International youth activities.

3. To serve as a documentation and reference center for National and International youth activities.

4. To house the offices of international youth organizations in Kuala Lumpur.

5. To conduct training for youth.