International Youth Day, designated by the United Nations to focus on issues affecting young people, is observed every year on which date?

Introduction / Context:
International Youth Day is a United Nations observance that highlights the role of young people in society and brings attention to challenges they face in areas such as education, employment, participation, and health. Each year, a theme is chosen to guide events and discussions across the world. For competitive exams, it is essential to distinguish International Youth Day from India specific youth observances and to remember the exact date on which this global day is celebrated.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question clearly mentions International Youth Day, which is a UN observance.
• Four options are provided, all on the 12th of different months: January, March, July, and August.
• We assume the question refers to the global UN date rather than any national youth day.
• No year specific theme is asked, only the recurring date.

Concept / Approach:
The concept tested is the difference between global and national youth related observances. International Youth Day is observed on 12 August every year, while 12 January is National Youth Day in India, associated with Swami Vivekananda. The approach is to keep these two dates clearly separated logically: January 12 for Indian context and August 12 for global youth issues. Recognising this separation helps avoid the very common error of mixing up these two days.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Read the question carefully and note that it says International Youth Day, which signals a United Nations level observance.Step 2: Recall that the UN celebrates International Youth Day on 12 August each year.Step 3: Review the options: 12 January, 12 March, 12 July, and 12 August.Step 4: Identify 12 August as the date matching your memorised knowledge.Step 5: Select 12 August as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A simple way to verify is to remember that India celebrates National Youth Day on 12 January, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, and that International Youth Day must therefore fall on a different date to avoid confusion. Many exam resources explicitly mention that International Youth Day is observed on 12 August, mid year, often accompanied by a youth focused theme. Using this contrast between January and August helps confirm that 12 August is correct for the international observance.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
12 January is the date of National Youth Day in India, not of the UN International Youth Day, so it is incorrect in this specific question. 12 March and 12 July do not correspond to any widely known UN youth related observance and have been included as distractors. Choosing any of these indicates confusion between the national and international contexts or a lack of precise date knowledge.

Common Pitfalls:
The most common pitfall is to pick 12 January because it is heavily emphasised in Indian school and college celebrations as Youth Day, leading to confusion when the word International appears in the question. Another error is assuming that all youth days are on the same date worldwide, which is not true. Carefully checking whether a question refers to an international or national observance and memorising both 12 January and 12 August for their respective contexts will help you avoid these mistakes.

Final Answer:
International Youth Day is observed each year on 12 August.