World Youth Congress set to convene in Istanbul next weekend

Nearly a thousand young people from across the world will gather in Istanbul for the Fifth World Youth Congress which is set to begin next weekend. The biennial congress was most recently held in Hawaii, Morocco, Scotland and Canada. During the two-week congress, young people from several countries will have the chance to learn firsthand about Turkey's culture and people and the history of the one of the world's oldest civilizations – which is now also the second fastest-growing modern economy in the world after China. President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected to take part in the congress' grand opening next weekend. The congress' main objective is to bring together young people from different nationalities and inspire them to take action on such issues as poverty, climate change, peace, democracy and human rights.