It was really
such a great honor to be the representative of my country as well as the
elected Vice-President in the 25th International Youth Forum happened recently
in South Korea. The event was hosted by the Korean Ministry of Gender and
Equality (MOGEF) and was organized by National Council of Youth Organizations
in Korea (NCYOK). I have personally met tens of amazing young people coming
from over 40 different countries and we had discussed a lot of things on how we
could contribute to the realization of sustainable world peace. It was indeed a
fantastic learning experience and here I present you the "Youth
Declaration" as the main outcome of the forum :)
Youth Declaration
The 25th International Youth Forum
“Youth and World Peace”
August, 20-27, 2014, Seoul and Muju, Republic of Korea
Preamble
77 youth participants from 42 countries gathered in Seoul and Muju, Korea
from August 20th to 27th, 2014 to discuss ideas on how
youth can contribute to the realization of sustainable world peace.
World peace is the condition when individuals in all states, nations and
regions are free from the fear of violence or conflict. It is antonymous with
war and conflict that endanger the safety of people and societies.
According to
the UN Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual
Respect and Understanding between Peoples 1965, young people should be raised in
the spirit of peace, justice, freedom, mutual respect and understanding. The
promotion of equal rights for all human beings and all nations, economic and
social progress, disarmament and the maintenance of international peace and
security are crucial elements towards this end.
Declaration
The
participants of this forum affirm that the above definition remains relevant to
the youth of their respective nations. The realization of world peace can be undertaken
from local to international levels as there are various activities that are classified
as peace-building. While there are clear personal benefits of peace-building in
the present, the participants recognize that the future impact on society is of
greater importance.
The Youth are the greatest asset to a country as the youthful
period is a time of passion and emotion, which when directed, can catalyze new
mindsets, new movements and ultimately new societies. Due to the unique
position of youth within society, their input in development programs is
crucial to achieving desired objectives. It is undeniable there is an imminent
need to create a conflict-free environment and a culture of peace.
The participants of this
forum have identified the relevant denominations involved in the universal
peace making process. These groups are International Organizations, Governance,
Society and Acts of Individuals. Due to the breadth of these groups, the
participants have further subdivided them into the categories of: Youth, Education, Government, Local Communities, Private
Enterprise, the Media, International Governmental Organizations and
International Nongovernmental Organizations. These smaller, more specific
groups, allowed for a more candid debate between participants.
To affirm their
beliefs in these ideals and to make an active contribution to the
peace-building effort, the participants of this forum present the following
recommendations:
Youth
Youth,
as the future of the world, has an indispensable role in achieving world peace.
Youth should aim to not only change their attitude towards people, traditions,
religion and belief in order to accomplish a global harmony, but also feel the
responsibility to defend the frontiers of peace and non-violence.
We
recommend that youth should:
a. Play an active role in raising awareness
in local and international communities through social media, education,
culture, technology and sports activities.
b. Volunteer in organizations that work for
community service, in order to contribute a vital role in developing the future
of the society as well as themselves.
c. Participate in political activities to
raise awareness and encourage reforms that ensure good governance,
accountability, and transparency.
d. Opine
on current conflicts in the world in public assemblies and governments, both
IGOs and NGOs.
e. Flourish the ideas of internationalism
and multiculturalism.
f. Build cooperation and have collaboration
among youths from different countries in order to form strong bonds.
Education
Education ought to not
only correct perception and belief of world peace but also promote activities
that can prepare them for future contribution. We believe, both formal and
non-formal education play a major role in promoting world peace.
Therefore, we suggest:
a. Approach to History education that not only
gives room for open interpretation but also holistic view of the world.
b. Endorse further of Peace and Conflict
studies in order to develop fundamental and professional knowledge of world
peace.
c. Grant ample governmental financial aid to
both native and foreign students, who will benefit from their experiences of
diverse cultures in exchange programs.
d. Invest
in foreign language education, especially that of language in developing
countries, so that students can open new points of perspective of the world.
e. Invite experts and guest speakers, as well
as running workshops on various issues in order to enhance students’
comprehension of world peace.
f. Stimulate students to organize campaigns
and sessions via social networks (Youth development websites, social media,
etc.) to increase and spread the awareness of world peace.
g. Encourage students’ involvement in
community services and volunteering programs so that they can recognize the
global wealth gap.
Government
Nation-States remain
the main unit of governance despite the growing importance of international
organizations. Governments, as the primary decision-making bodies at the head
of States, possess the authority within their own legal systems to wage war
against other nations, direct diplomatic action, set the priorities during
budget negotiations, among other responsibilities. Therefore, the participation
of governments is vital to foster world peace while integrating youths as
agents in this cause.
To this end, we propose
the following recommendations:
a. Governments should legislate to make
sure youth is formally educated in the values of non-discrimination, peaceful
conflict resolution and mediation, intercultural appreciation, and any and
every other value which amounts to peace.
b. Government should allocate resources to
public programs, private individuals, and private organizations with the
objectives of bringing together youth from the homeland or abroad, or
both. Such resources should be allocated
on the basis of a competitive application process. Therefore, the aim is that these youth may
establish enduring relationships, social and professional connections, and
engender mutual understanding and peace.
These programs may
constitute one of these or a mixture of several:
1.
Education seminars;
2.
Cultural and artistic events;
3.
Sports competitions and exhibitions;
4.
Intercultural and interreligious experiences;
5.
Civic engagement programs;
6.
Sessions of mutual understanding between
youths of conflicting regions or States;
7.
And others.
Governments should not
fund programs of the following nature:
1.
Partisan;
2.
Insensitive to ethnical, national, religious
or social groups.
c. Governments should allocate resources to
the promotion of the role of youth, to both highlight its position in society
among its fellow citizens, and inspire youth to be more engaged in its local,
regional, national and international community. By promotion we suggest:
1.
TV, radio, newspaper, magazine and
Internet ads;
2.
Public speeches;
3.
Street signs and banners;
4.
And others.
d. State institutions should be inclusive
of youth by ensuring their representation. These institutions should also
designate new avenues exclusively for youth to voice their needs and ideas,
thus influencing public policy; engage and cooperate with their peers in
various geographical magnitudes, and create further opportunities for other
members of their cohort.
Local Community
Local community plays
an integral part in achieving sustainable world peace as it affects those
involved at a personal level and facilitates connections across different
socio-economic groups.
We therefore recommend that
local communities:
a. Create a program to promote self-sufficiency to
address the gap on existing policies to gradually eradicate community issues
such as disease, poverty and unemployment.
b.
Raise awareness of cultures and beliefs through
peace-related programs at the grass-root levels.
c.
Improve the efficiency of gathering feedback
and encouraging discussion when lobbying for support of the needs of the
community and its people to the government.
d. Recognize and reward the contributions of youth
in local communities to increase involvement in volunteerism.
e. Collaborate with other local communities when
organizing events to foster better understanding across social groups.
f.
Introduce local leadership training for youth.
Private
Enterprise
Private Enterprise,
whether presented as a for-profit or not-for-profit model, must engage in the
promotion of peace and youth involvement. We recognize the necessity of the
proliferation of corporate social responsibility and its importance in
contributing to social stability, integrity, and world peace. It is imperative
that the private sectors foster a positive relationship with society and to
achieve a form of mutual respect.
We recommend that the
private enterprises act upon the following:
a. Support the youth with training and
educational opportunities which empower them with practical and competitive
skills to employ a more global understanding and perspective of social
dynamics.
b. Provide resources to promote youth
peace-keeping and training activities such as international conferences,
seminars and leadership workshops.
c. Recognize the advantages of corporate
social responsibility not only in society, but also in business.
d. Encourage business models with regard to social
issues and production of goods or services that contribute to their solution and
well-being of the society
e. Cooperate with INGOs to empower youths
to create cross-cultural connections.
f. Fostering the value of global citizenship by developing a multicultural work environment through youth training programs and employment
g. Facilitate exchange programs for young
employees among business partners to stimulate networking through intercultural
experiences.
h. Create a platform for youth social entrepreneurship to
spread goodwill both within and out of the enterprise.
Media
The media is a powerful
tool able to disseminate information quickly to a wide audience while
simultaneously educating the public about important social issues. Nowadays, we
can observe that media, and especially new media, are playing a vital role in
shaping the identity of today’s societies. Thus, the media can have a great
impact on the role of youth and its contribution to achieving world peace.
We recommend that the
media:
a.
Portray organizations, companies, and
projects that present positive youth initiatives throughout the world. Media
can inspire youth to take more proactive actions to change the current
situation by showing an alternative and more positive side of the world news.
In addition, media outlets can create specific sections dedicated to youth
initiatives.
b. Give more space to peace journalism,
portraying peace building efforts, in addition to war journalism with the goal
of having more balanced information.
c. Establish their own charter that bans
hate speech and promotes diversity whether it is diversity of opinions, ethnic
groups, religions, sexes or ages, etc. This charter applies to both the company
and produced content. By diversifying their workforce and giving voices to
various groups, media companies can fairly represent the current multicultural
society and can increase mutual understanding.
d. Develop
social media outlets and systems to connect youth and build interactive global
citizenship through networking. This can be achieved by encouraging young
people to use new media as a way to interact, express themselves, and expand
their knowledge on different subjects.
e. Increase visibility within the
traditional media of alternative information sources such as citizen-journalism
and social media.
International Governmental Organizations
(IGOs)
IGOs play both the role of director and facilitator
in issues affecting youth and world peace. They are expected to strengthen
current initiatives, implement new policies, establish beneficial partnerships
with other IGOs and to connect individuals and groups with higher institutions.
In
order to effectively progress these roles, we recommend:
a.
Promote existing
organizations already facilitating food, shelter, clothes and education for
those who need it, with a special focus on youth, keeping in mind that many
conflicts can arise because of the economic polarization within a country or
region.
b. Create a mobile
space, either physical or digital, where individuals and groups can communicate
with another, become involved with current projects, create new initiatives and
prevent overlap with an ultimate goal of increased dialogue, mutual understanding
and global activism.
c.
Raise awareness
of peace through IGO outreach and encouraging the implementation of curriculum
by means of unbiased peace and human rights education in schools.
d. Enforce
individuals and groups to become more connected to their respective IGOs
through encouraging transparent IGO activity, IGO outreach, consultative bodies
and accountability. This includes accessibility to information regarding
individual rights in the legal system.
International Non-Governmental Organizations
(INGOs)
International Non-Governmental
Organizations, due to their apolitical nature, are able to work across
political boundaries to directly interact with individuals, making them a
crucial component of world peace. Their
key roles in the peace effort primarily include creating a platform for
dialogue and promoting conflict resolution through the use of soft power.
To better connect INGOs with youth,
we recommend that they:
a. Create
a repository of INGOs working in peace initiatives to better align common goals
by providing access to information about ongoing and future projects to reduce
overlap,
promote transparency and
accountability.
b.
Encourage
better feasibility studies to promote effective implementation, maximization of
resources, and project longevity.
c. Increase
visibility of peace initiatives through public agendas by furthering
cooperation between INGOs and governments.
d. Allocate specific leadership
positions within INGO departments for youth to create more youth-friendly
projects and a more inclusive dialogue.
e. Hold
more youth gatherings to address current world peace issues, develop
youth-focused solutions, and better inform youth through volunteerism about INGO
roles.
f.
Enhance
collaboration with educational institutions to encourage dialogue, constructive
debates, and cultivate a culture of peace.
