Baku: The 11th National Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament (EYP) in Azerbaijan recently concluded, showcasing a unique gathering of young talents from Azerbaijan and Europe. Held from August 8-12 at the European Azerbaijan School, the event was themed ‘Digital Skies, Boundless Horizons’ and attracted between 140 to 150 participants aged 15-25. Yusuf Karimli, Co-Head Organizer of the Conference, shared insights about the event in an interview with AZERTAC.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the primary objective of the National Selection Conference was to enhance the debate, leadership, research, and collaboration skills of young people. The event featured nine committees that tackled a range of topics including academic research, engineering, aerospace, aviation, environmental protection, sustainability, women’s rights, innovative technologies, artificial intelligence, and future innovation trends. Each committee comprised 15-20 young participants who engaged in discussions, problem analysis, and solution development. Karimli, along with Co-Head Organizer Vusal Baghirli, emphasized the importance of the theme “Boundless Skies, Digital Horizons” to amplify the impact of youth-driven engineering and technological solutions across Europe and Azerbaijan. The organizers anticipate significant growth in trends related to Aerospace, AI, Innovations, and Digitalization.
The conference was structured over five days. The first day focused on team-building activities, followed by committee work and resolution preparation on the second and third days. The resolutions were then presented, discussed, and adopted by vote in the General Assembly on the fourth and fifth days. These adopted resolutions are subsequently sent to the European Youth Parliament Headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and are considered for promotion at the European Commission and European Union levels.
Highlighting the international opportunities for participants, Karimli mentioned that the jury team selects individuals with strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, research, and adaptation skills to represent Azerbaijan in international sessions across Europe. This year, one such session will take place in Malaga, Spain, with another planned for Pordenone, Italy next year.
Karimli further elaborated on the extensive activities organized by EYP Azerbaijan, including school, university, and city selection sessions, as well as the national conference. Outreach sessions have also been held in regions like Ganja, Gabala, and Guba, with plans to expand to Lankaran this month. Karimli expressed hope for hosting an event in Karabakh in the future.
The 11th NSC of EYP Azerbaijan was supported by numerous organizations, including Bakcell, UN Azerbaijan, UN Women, UN-Habitat, Azerbaijan Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), Coca-Cola Bottlers, Azerchay, Azersun, Ushaqlarimiza Oyredek, Starbucks Azerbaijan, Dodo Pizza, Moonlight accessories, AZERTAC, AzTV, among others.