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| © Ishmael Beah 2006 |
Closing Day
25 August 2006, Kyoto, Japan
Sarah Lea Ansel from the Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) Unit at UNICEF and I had a briefing session with Ms. Ann Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF about the entire conference. This was followed by the presentation of the Hiroshima Declaration to Ms. Veneman, His Royal Highness Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan, and Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General of Religions for Peace.
Prince Hassan Bin Talal, in his remarks to the youth assembly, appealed to all people of the world to work towards closing the gap of human dignity. He said, “ I am an NGO, a non governmental organism.” He also called for a law of peace as oppose to the law of war, which is already in place. “Say no to war by offering a positive alternative”, the prince ended his speech. I couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that all young people need to think of themselves as NGOs (non governmental organisms) and make a serious commitment to change the state of their world. This commitment should be manifested in our actions and they should go beyond just words. They must also be feasible, practical, thoughtful, etc. We have to start in our communities.
Ms. Veneman then spoke about the importance of young people coming together to talk about the world, their nations and communities. During this gathering, we have created friendships that will last and will enable us to know more about our countries, what is unfolding in them and so on. We have put a human face to all our sufferings, desires and hopes and these connections, I believe, will help alleviate future conflicts. Because if some people at this gathering become leaders of their respective nations, they are less likely to go to war with the nations of people they have met. They would no longer have the capacity to dehumanize people who they have befriended and learned from. The possibility of a peaceful dialogue as oppose to conflict between potential leaders from this gathering is now greater. We have chosen hope because that is the only way forward. I hope that all youth around the world whether religious or not can choose our path and work with us. Because the problems we discussed and are trying to solve, concern all human beings, and in that respect, they transcend all our religions.
