Pretoria - Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane on Tuesday accepted the declaration of the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students as delegates marked an end to the week-long event in Tshwane.
President Jacob Zuma opened the festival last week in an official ceremony that included a performance by the military and a fly-pass by the South African Air Force.
But organisers this week had to deal with one crisis after another as the event was marred by accusations of bad organisation and poor attendance at commissions. However, on Tuesday, the National Youth Development Agency chairperson, Andile Lungisa, was adamant that the festival, hosted in South Africa for the first time, was "fruitful" for both local and international visitors.
"We are confident as we all prepare to depart ... (that) we carry with ourselves nothing less than the spirit of peace, solidarity and social transformation," Lungisa said.
He said the youth movement had demonstrated its ability to undertake the task of organising the event and that the festival had proven to be a robust and relevant platform to discuss world matters.
About 15 000 young people from more than 130 countries gathered at the southern lawns of the Union Buildings, where a closing ceremony featuring local artists was held.
Chabane, who sat next to ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema on the stage, accepted the five-page declaration on behalf of the South African government. In it, the youth are calling on the South African government to fight against "imperialist policies", which they said attacked the full development and education of young people.
"Imperialist war-mongering policies produce such crises as refugees ... we strongly condemn the imperialists economic policies, interventions and occupations that have produced millions of immigrants," read the declaration.
The document further blames the "imperialists" for the "exploitation of the planet's natural resources, which is the main threat to the environment."
"The environmental issue is taking on an alarming dimension due to the production of genetically modified organisms, which are jeopardising human kind's future."
