21st September, 2011 International Day of Peace

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 realization 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. On the other hand, religious groups and educational institutions are conducting community programs.  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 line, we all can join in and contribute through peace projects, promoting tolerance, democracy, advocate and vote 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 seize, wherever they are, which ever country they are in, they should be involved in a very tangible and massive way. They should be inspired to be the driving force behind a vision for a united and peaceful world.  Our purpose is to see nations and their people living in harmony that is why the World Assembly of Youth(WAY) promotes tolerance and harmonious relations amongst nations through international understanding and cooperation. By all means, we bring awareness through campaigns, events, conferences on peace. This October, WAY in collaboration with its member in the Republic of the Sudan, the General Sudanese Student’s Union (GSSU) are organizing an International Conference on Peace and Sustainable Development as a step towards implementing the declaration made in the XV General Assembly, ’Youth Rise for Peace’. Another such effort towards Peace is the World Youth Forum on Peace and Harmony, organized by the Indonesian National Youth Council in Jakarta, Indonesia. These are just some of the ongoing year round efforts focusing on issues affecting peace like human rights, environment, poverty and many more. 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 implementations towards a peaceful world for our youth and leaders alike!   Youth Rise for Peace!