Maryam Khansaheb, an active student in the Student Leadership Program (SLP) at American University of Sharjah (AUS,) was selected by the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare to represent the UAE in the Eighth UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris, France, October 29-31, 2013.

The prestigious UNESCO Youth Forum takes place biennially. This year, the theme was "Youth and Social Inclusion: Civic Engagement, Dialogue and Skills Development." This edition strived to improve effective participation, ownership and co-management of the event by the youth, in order to build strong bridges between the organization, its member states, youth and their organizations. Importantly, it also aimed at reinforcing the competencies of young people as key actors driving change in their communities, and active partners in peace building and the promotion of sustainable development. The main outcomes of the forum were the recommendations prepared by the youth, which will be presented in the 37th UNESCO General Conference.

Khansaheb is senior student majoring in chemical engineering. "I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to represent the UAE at the UNESCO Youth Forum," she said. "It was exciting to work with youth from all over the world and to come together to achieve a common goal that is empowering youth within their communities. It showed me that the UAE is indeed at the top when it comes to youth education and development. It was a unique and memorable experience and I'm glad to have been a part of it."

"It is such a great honor for our student to represent the UAE in such a prestigious forum organized by UNESCO. Undoubtedly, innovative and creative ideas of young people are significant for the development of society. The UNESCO Youth Forum is an ideal platform of synergy and integration between young people, social communities and international organizations in which the youth interact with policy makers, civil society experts, private sector and international associations," said Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.