About
Renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma is expanding his efforts to expose young audiences to music and promote the work of the United Nations among young people. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in the United States, Mr. Ma is the recipient of countless honours and awards. Believing that music can act as a magnet to draw people together, he created the Silk Road Project in 1998 to promote the study of cultural, artistic and intellectual traditions along the ancient Silk Road trade route, which sweeps through cultures from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. In 2007, he contributed music for a DVD produced in support of the Stop TB Partnership Campaign with the World Health Organization.
Focus Area: Youth
Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 represent approximately 18% of the global population, or nearly 1.2 billion people.
Young people are effective agents of change. They contribute to development by addressing society’s most challenging issues, such as combating poverty and hunger in their communities, stemming the HIV/AIDS pandemic through peer education and championing the protection of the environment.