Córdoba, Spain, 30 November 2023 — The initiatives of 19 talented and dedicated young leaders to promote peace, respect for diversity, and mutual understanding in their respective communities in Latin America and the Caribbean were in the spotlight today at a symposium in Córdoba, Spain.
The aspiring young peacebuilders showcased their achievements, reflected on lessons learned, and presented recommendations based on their experiences as participants of the sixth edition of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Young Peacebuilders programme.
The programme, implemented by UNAOC with generous support from Agencia Extremeña de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AEXCID), is a peace education initiative that supports young people, between 18 and 25 years of age, in developing the skills and capacities needed to foster peace and security and prevent violent conflict and extremism.
The symposium was the culmination of the programme for the participants, where they presented their peace initiatives, which focused on one of the following three themes — peace education; violence prevention and conflict resolution; and inclusive societies and peacebuilding. The young peacebuilders gathered in the southern Spanish city of Córdoba from all over Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Saint Lucia, and, Trinidad and Tobago. A couple of participants from Spain also presented their peace initiatives.
Participants also had the opportunity to discuss the role of youth in building peace with guests from a wide range of fields, including UN officials, representatives from civil society, media and academia.
Speaking via video message, High Representative of UNAOC and UN Under-Secretary-General, Mr. Miguel Moratinos, stressed that “empowering youth lies at the heart of international peace and security. UNAOC has long recognized the important and positive contributions of youth and youth-led organizations in conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts.” Now that the young peacebuilders have completed the Young Peacebuilders programme, he added, they “join an impressive list of civil society leaders that make up our UNAOC alumni network. Our journey doesn’t end here. Indeed, it is just the beginning.”
AEXCID Director, Ms. Isabel Belloso, pointed out in pre-recorded remarks that “the development of talent for peace and justice is a key contribution in our world. Peacebuilding needs multiple visions and perspectives from different parts of the world.” Young people have a “very important role in peacebuilding,” she said before encouraging the participants to “to put into practice what you’ve been working on in the programme, which is now part of your competencies and your position in life.”
The programme recognizes the key role young people have to play in maintaining and promoting international peace and security as affirmed by policy recommendations in UN Security Council Resolutions 2250, 2419, and 2535 on Youth, Peace and Security and the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism.
For more information about the UNAOC Young Peacebuilders, please click here.