World Assembly of Youth: International Peace Day Statement 2011

A nation without vision perishes, so is a nation
without vision for peace building. Peace is not something we should be wishing
for without hard work put in to achieve, but a virtue we all work towards to
accomplish. Peace should start from within.

Today we are faced with a lot of threatening
issues such as violence, neglect of human rights, war and many more. Throughout
the years we have observed how people have been denied the right to freedom of
expression, religion, movement and many others. Some government’s grip on the
people has been stern denying them the true democracy they want and need.

The United Nations, in realisation of the need for
peace building, declared the 21st of September as International Day of Peace.
The main reason is to call nations to cease fire and non violence. On this day,
nations worldwide are joining the call for peace through a range of activities
including proclamations, pledges for humanitarian aid and ceasefire.

Everyone should by now know that peace does not
happen on its own but instead, it takes effort, 
it must be nurtured, and maintained. In that we all can join in
and contribute through peace projects, promoting tolerance and democracy, advocating
and voting for good governance. Governments as the heart of nations should agree
to disarmament, diplomacy, development and observe human rights.

 The youth
especially, should be at the heart of Peace today and every other day. This is
an opportunity to sieze, wherever they are, which ever country they are in. They should be
inspired to be the driving force behind a vision for a united and peaceful
world.

As the late Dr. Martin Luther King once said,
‘Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we
arrive at that goal’. With this, colleagues, members and friends, we hope that
this message shall imbue transformative action towards a peaceful
world for our youth and leaders alike! 

 World Assembly of Youth 2011

Reported by Yseult Kaplan,

SI UNESCO Representative, Paris.