The WYF was first held in November 2017 with the purpose of engaging youths globally in an enriching set-up, allowing them to exchange views and recommend initiatives to decision-makers and influential figures.

The forum has since become a chance for youths to engage with top policymakers and network with promising peers from the region and the world that are determined to make the world a better place for everyone.

The fourth edition — which was due to be held in 2020 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic — will host various events, including the Startup Vein, WYF Labs, and World Youth Theatre.

Startup Vein is an entrepreneurship district where entrepreneurs can share their experiences, the challenges they faced, and their successes with youths.

“The fourth edition’s Startup Vein focuses on the role of start-up companies and small- and medium-sized industries in the face of the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability to turn this challenge into investment opportunities,” said a press release by the WYF on Sunday.

The WYF Labs — which were founded upon a recommendation given during the 2018 edition — will provide workshops and sessions to youths from around the world who want to become entrepreneurs and already have an idea for a start-up they want to create.

Over four days, attendees will learn how to turn a business idea into a start-up and understand the skills needed to be an entrepreneur in a post-COVID world, according to the WYF website.

“WYF Labs provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs to connect with youths and learn about investors, incubators, and more. Through a number of workshops, dialogues, and mentorships, WYF Labs are able to provide a chance for young entrepreneurs to show their potential,” the press release stated.

The World Youth Theatre will also be held for the third time under the motto ‘Arts and culture are part of development and a human right”, taking into consideration all the necessary precautionary measures against the coronavirus.

In 2018, the theatre gathered 132 performers from 23 countries.

The WYF’s theatre is a youth-to-youth hub that gathers promising artists from all over the world to play their outstanding talents and express their cultures through a wide range of art-related activities, including music, acting, stand-up comedy, painting, dancing, and much more.

According to the press release, some artists from the villages of the ‘Decent Life Initiative’ will also be participating in the World Youth Theatre.

The Decent Life Initiative was launched by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to develop Egyptian villages by enhancing their public services and infrastructure.

The fourth edition of the forum will also include the ‘Freedom.e’, which is a technology-oriented event that gathers all young tech-enthusiasts to present a number of applications and solutions for issues discussed in the forum, all of this in a digitised environment.

‘Enjoy, Explore, and Experience’ are the keywords that define activities taking place in the Freedom.e, where borderless innovation took centre stage, bringing people and nations together through one common language, technology.

In previous editions, through the Freedom.e space, participants networked, experienced new technologies, interacted through games and ideas, shared art and innovations, and discovered new cultures.

The forum in January will also include the ‘Inspire.d’ event, which is a platform for everyone to share their inspirational stories of achievement, hope, dreams, survival, and even failure.

The Inspire.d event, which will be introduced for the second time during the forum, will welcome significant storytellers on stage to open up their minds, absorb, inspire, and share their own stories.

The WYF is attended by a wide range of participants, including and not limited to heads of states and government, international young leaders, inspiring youths in various fields, prominent international figures, and youth groups from around the world.

More than 15,000 people from over 160 countries took part in the last three editions of the forum.

To curb the spread of the coronavirus, the WYF’s organisers decided to reduce the number of participants in the upcoming edition by only allowing vaccinated people to attend the event.

The main themes of the fourth edition of the forum are post-COVID impacts, climate change, social security, human rights, entrepreneurship, technology, 5G networks, digital transformation, distance learning, the environment, and the future of energy, according to the official website of the WYF.