The government has called for applications and proposals for the National Youth Platform, which is slated to be formed under the directives of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, coinciding with the 75th National Independence Day celebrations.

Explaining the objective of the National Youth Platform, the President’s Media Division (PMD) stated that this initiative is expected to provide the Sri Lankan youths the opportunity to be a part of the nation-building process which aims to make the country a prosperous and well-developed nation by the year 2048.

The whole program is oriented to kick-start a 25-year development agenda and make youth responsible partners in the process, the PMD explained.

Elaborating on the rationale for setting up the National Youth Platform, the PMD noted that by the year 2048, the current youth of the nation will be adults and will be playing key roles in the government and private sectors of the country. Hence, it is in the hands of the youths to work from now onwards to make the country a better place instead of complaining about the system and the conduct of the politicians in the future. The President has a firm belief that if the youth want to make a change they have to come forward and take leadership and the National Youth Platform is the opportunity for them to emerge, the PMD said further.

Applications are open to become a part of the National Youth Platform under three different categories; Member, Youth Organization, and Adviser.

Individuals who are interested in joining the initiative can apply as a member by submitting their CVs and proposals for a selected focus area from the list below.

Organizations will have to send a report with details of the membership base and the projects and programs they have completed over the years, to obtain the membership.

People with expert knowledge in the focussed areas can apply or be nominated as an advisor to the program and will be chosen after an interview process.

Category           Age Limit
Member      :      16 – 35
Youth          :      Organization All members below the age of 40
Adviser       :      All Ages

The National Youth Platform will have the following focus areas:

• Law and Economy
• Education, Vocational Training, Talent for the Future
• Sustainable Development and Climate Action
• Health, Safe Food and Water standards
• National Security
• Diplomacy and International Relations
• Agriculture, Fisheries & Animal Husbandry
• Sports
• Aesthetics – Art, Music, Drama, Film, Architecture, etc.
• Industry, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
• Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Protection of Water, Air, Land, and Animals
• Governance, Technology for Governance, Transparency and Anti-Corruption
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for National Development
• Just Society

All applicants must choose only one focus area they would like to work on. A self-written application can be sent through email or registered post to the following addresses on or before January 31, 2023:

• Email: dir.ysd@presidentsoffice.lk
• Postal: Director Youth and Sustainable Development, Presidential Secretariat, Colombo 01

Those who are willing to volunteer for the core team of the National Youth Platform in the fields of administration, content creation, IT, marketing, logistics, and finances, are informed to directly contact the Director of Youth and Sustainable Development at the Presidential Secretariat through the aforementioned email address.