Accra, August 16, 2012This year's International Youth Day (IYD) fell on August 12 and World Humanitarian Day (WHD) falls on August 19. As part of activities to commemorate these important Days on the United Nations' calendar, the United Nations in Ghana in partnership with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the School of Medical Sciences of the University of Cape Coast are holding a joint event: Forum on The United Nations, Ghana and Humanitarian Work and a health outreach program to be undertaken by the final-year students of the UCC SMS on Friday, August 17, 2012. They will be supervised and supported by the Medical staff of the School, the Ghana Health Service and the Center for the Development of Deprived Communities CDDC.

The theme for this year's IYD, Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth - is a global call to action for young men and women, as well as other stakeholders around the world, to develop and engage in partnerships with and for youth towards building a better world. The WHD is about inspiring the spirit of aid work in everyone and this year's theme is 'People Helping People'.

Therefore, in an effort to raise public awareness of humanitarian assistance worldwide and the people who risk their lives in order to provide it, to inculcate in the youth the passion of humanitarianism and to expose them to opportunities within which they can act and contribute towards building a better world, the UN system chose the UCC SMS and Egyeikrom, a community currently hosting refugees in the country for this event. The event would also provide the opportunity to raise public awareness on the role of the United Nations in humanitarian work in Ghana.

There is an urgent need to sensitize the youth and get them involved in this regard. This event provides an important opportunity for the United Nations and other organizations to strengthen mechanisms for partnerships with young people.

Ghana has and continues to experience humanitarian crisis resulting from both natural (eg floods) and manmade (eg fire outbreak) disasters resulting in internally displaced persons and influx of refugees. In both cases women and young people (including adolescents) are greatly affected and made vulnerable to negative situations pertaining to health and protection. These include vulnerability to Sexual and gender based violence including sexual exploitation and abuse, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, and sexually transmitted infections (including HIV). It is essential to empower the youth with information to enable them to understand the challenges of humanitarian crisis and to inspire them to become involved in humanitarian activities.

1. FORUM: A 2-hour forum at the University of Cape Coast- SMS auditorium, UCC @ 9a.m.

This forum is to provide some information to students of the UCC, particularly the medical school, about the role of the United Nations in humanitarian activities in Ghana and the world over and of NADMO as a national disaster management organisation.

A brief candle light ceremony will be held in memory of all humanitarian workers both dead and alive.

HEALTH SCREENING: Community Outreach at Egyeikrom- Egyeikrom community near Elmina @ 12noon

The UN system will lead medical students from the School of Medical Sciences of the University of Cape Coast and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to Egyeikrom community where students, in the spirit of humanitarianism and part of social responsibility, are expected to work in close association with the GHS to provide free basic health screening to the residents of Egyeikrom. Basic health screening such as pressure checking, weighing, wound dressing, eye screening and general medical assessment especially of children would be carried out. Students will also be expected to provide health talks on general wellbeing and on sanitation to resident

Date/Time: August 17, 2012/ 09:00hrs
Venue: University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences & Egyeikrom respectively.