KUALA LUMPUR: The events leading up to the Kuala Lumpur Summit (KL Summit) 2019 kick off today with an event that will discuss youth issues.
The Youth Kuala Lumpur (KL) Summit 2019 will be the first in the programme of the summit, which will gather Muslim leaders, intellectuals and scholars as a platform to identify the problems afflicting the Muslim world and to find solutions to them.
The Youth KL Summit is a prelude to the main summit, which will be held from tomorrow to Saturday.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is chairman of the summit, is expected to make an appearance at the Youth KL Summit during an afternoon dialogue at the Plenary Theatre, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.
That session will be held after the opening ceremony by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman in the morning.
The youth summit will span two days with workshops, cluster dialogues and a Young Government Leaders’ Roundtable being held today.
Tomorrow, there will be a presentation of resolutions by the respective clusters, presentation of special projects and a closing ceremony marked by the signing and exchange of documents by participants.
A youth participant to the summit said intercultural learning between young people around the world would convey the true teachings of Islam as a religion of peace.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Youth executive council member Muhammad Muzzammil Ismail said Muslim youth should use social media platforms with wisdom with a view to play a more active role in overcoming Islamophobia.
He said it was important for Muslim youth to portray a positive image of Islam.
“They should be more active in communicating with others, embrace diversity and, most importantly, do not try to be invisible when faced with issues, but try to solve them with hikmah (wisdom),” he said ahead of the Youth KL Summit yesterday.
Muzzammil’s involvement at the Youth KL Summit is expected to focus on technology and sustainable development.
He said Muslim countries should continue to champion education and innovation to be on a par with developed nations.
“True progress is when we, Muslim countries, attain advancements consistent with Islamic values and teachings,” he said.
Geopolitics and human governance expert Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said new frameworks for youth education, training and talent mobility should be considered by Muslim countries to enable their youth to be on a par with peers in other parts of the world.
“We want our youth to escape from the previously closed and insular cycle of education and embrace an ‘open education’ concept. We want our youth to get global exposure and access to the best education opportunities globally.”
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, who will focus on matters pertaining to youth exchange at the Youth KL Summit, underscored the importance of commitment to lifelong learning and equitable access to opportunities, especially among young people.