INDIA’S LARGEST INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT HAS OFFICIAL LAUNCH

The 62^nd annual AIESEC International Congress hosted its official launch in Mumbai on Tuesday at HR College of Commerce and Economics. Moderated by Lindsay Clinton, Assistant Vice President at Intellecap, the launch event featured an audience of 200 university students, and AIESEC members from over 10 countries. Nadir Godrej, managing director of Godrej Industries, delivered an inspirational keynote address, along with Manveer Grewal, the current president of AIESEC in India.

The event centered around the idea of inclusive growth – the movement to create a more equitable, educated India by creating uniformity within each part of the country’s population. Of the featured dignitaries was Indu Shahani, sheriff of Bombay and Principal of HR College, who observed, "the challenge for higher education is equity and excellence and inclusion - to achieve this balance, it is important to make education globally competitive so as to give India a cutting edge in the future.” The topic coincided directly with the theme of the AIESEC conference itself of “Converging Leadership and Diversity,” as many of the organization’s values align with those necessary for inclusive growth strategies, including growth in educational facilities, infrastructure, social progression, and sustainability.

As mentioned in Mr. Godrej’s opening address, the members of AIESEC are committed to environmental sustainability and education, as many of the sessions held at the summit will be dedicated to preserving these principles amongst the organization’s platform of international exchange. Alka Talwar, Corporate Head of Community Development at Tata Chemicals Limited, supported this notion by saying, “sustainability and sustainable development are words that signify long term perspective towards growth. At Tata Chemicals, sustainability and inclusive growth play an important part in its long-term strategy. Today’s youth have a huge role to play in overall sustainable development, and we are pleased to be associated with AIESEC’s impressive network of youth across the world.”

An important aspect of India’s movement to sustain inclusive growth is the role of the current youth population. As a country where 67% of the population is attributed to young people, India’s government depends on the skills and talent of educated youth, and the high-rising potential of those unable to receive education. S.K. Jiwarajka, Chairman of FICCI Western Regional Council and Managing Director of Salora International Ltd., also attended the event, and explained, “it is imperative that India embarks on a path of social and economic inclusion to prevent civil unrest and ensure sustained growth. The current demographic profile necessitates the youth of this country to actively participate in this exercise."

The 62^nd AIESEC International Congress is the largest international youth summit ever held in India. “This congregation of so many of the world’s young leaders is a powerful phenomenon that will sustain far-reaching impacts for years to come,” says Aditya Soma, Congress Committee President of IC 2010. The conference will bring together young leaders from over 107 countries, and top management of over 100 companies together, from August 23^rd until September 1^st at the Taj Krishna and Taj Deccan in Hyderabad.

The summit is an annual congregation of young leaders who are part of AIESEC, the world’s largest student-run, not-for-profit organization that aims to foster global understanding through student exchange and leadership development. At the summit, these young leaders will analyze the current state of the world, global issues and emerging trend.