30 September 2013 - Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Sahid S. Glang reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that five (5) Filipino youths participated in the First International Youth Conference held on September 21 at the Gulf Hotel in Manama, Bahrain.

The Conference, which was held in observance of the International Day of Peace, was organized by the Bahrain General Organization of Youth and Sports (GOYS), under the patronage of the Supreme Council for Youth and sports Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad al Khalifa.

The conference was attended by over 500 youth participants from 36 countries, as well as top government and private sector officials in Bahrain and other countries, including, among others, Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad al Khalifa, Justice Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Ghanim Bin Fadhul Al Buainain, and State Minister for Information Affairs Sameera Bin Ibraheem Rajab, former U. S. congressman Solomon Ortiz, and Dr. Jarmo Kotilaine, chief economist of the Bahrain Economic Development Board.

The Filipino youth delegate, aged between 18 and 32, and residents of Bahrain, were the following: Danial Josni M. Macapundag; Emannuel David P. Zafe; Clifford T. Orjaliza; Jana Noreen DO Sarmiento; and Rozelle Louise DO Sarmiento.

During the opening ceremony of the Conference, Philippine delegate Rozelle Louise DO Sarmiento delivered a speech in behalf of all the delegates.

The conference sought to promote peace awareness among the youths and the importance of dialogue and cultural exchanges in fostering the values of peace, understanding, and cooperation among peoples of all nations. Discussed during the Conference were the following main themes: (1) youth, peace and the basics of life; (2) youth, peace, and economic development; and (3) youth, peace, and the media.

Ambassador Glang praised the Filipino youths’ participation in the conference and encouraged them to share the lessons and experiences learned during the conference to other Filipino youths. END