CHENNAI: D elegates from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have agreed on the agenda for a large gathering from 191 United Nations member-states at the U.N. Youth Leadership Summit to be held in New York in October.

On Wednesday, the youth delegates decided on the themes of sport, culture and peace to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The meeting also discussed the arrangements for regional consultations prior to the Global Summit for Europe, the Arab State and North America. The U.N. leadership summit will be the culmination of a series of regional summits held in Africa, Senegal (2004) and Morocco (2005); in Asia, Japan (2004); in Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazil (2005).

The summit received a strong pledge of support from private sector sponsors including Mohan Lal Mittal, founder and chairman, Ispat Group of Companies; John Gage, vice-president and chief researcher, Sun Microsystems; and Hiroshi Matsumoto, president, Inner Trip Reiyukai International.

The sponsors agreed to form a Council of Mentors, which will bring together prominent international leaders to advise the youth leaders on summit preparations and implementation of activities decided on at the event, extending to 2015 the target date for achieving the MDGs. Mr. Mittal would chair the council. U.N. agencies will be partners in the summit, according to a U.N. release. UNICEF Deputy Director Kul Gautum urged the meeting to consider an expanded `MDG Plus" agenda .

Representatives of the ILO, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Youth Programme and the U.N. University for Peace attended.

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