Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated the third round of the World Youth Forum (WYF) held in Sinai's Sharm El-Sheikh on Saturday night.

Prior to the launch of the opening ceremony, El-Sisi received world leaders participating in the forum.

"It is a great honour to be with you today at the World Youth Forum," Li Yong, director-general of the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), said during his speech at the opening ceremony.

He praised the Egyptian government because it has “this important vision. Now half of the world's population is under 30, so caring for youth is necessary and inevitable.

"We are looking for comprehensive and sustainable development... our strategies for youth reflect this and we try to integrate and develop youth and increase employment rates," Yong said.

He stressed that economic development requires innovation and the creation of networks of effective communication.

"The high unemployment rate resulted in creating a new wave of economic development, to serve the labour market, in addition to providing job opportunities for young people," the UNIDO head said.

He added that the third edition of the WYF joins forces with the peace and security axes of the United Nations to create prosperity throughout the world.

The current edition of the WYF is scheduled to discuss a number of key topics, including the Fourth Industrial Revolution, food security, the Union for the Mediterranean and environmental challenges.

Moreover, topics like artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, women’s empowerment, and the arts and cinema are also on the forum’s agenda.

The four-day forum, the first edition of which was held in November 2017, is a platform built by promising youth to send a message of peace, prosperity, harmony, and progress to the world.

The WYF engages youth from across the world in an enriching set-up, allowing them to exchange views and recommend initiatives to decision-makers and influential figures.

Since 2017, it has become a chance for youth to engage with top policymakers, network with promising youth from the region and the world that are determined to make the world a better place for everyone.

Heads of state and government, international young leaders, inspiring youth from various fields, prominent international figures and more than 7,000 youth from around the world are participating in this year’s WYF.