YOUTH CALL FOR UNITY, COOPERATION 

Maseru, Aug.21— In line with the World Youth Conference for Peace that was held in Beijing on Tuesday, representatives of Chinese and foreign youth jointly issued World Youth Peace Initiative.

According to World Youth Peace Initiative, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations.

The Initiative indicates that 80 years ago, in face of the dark and evil forces of fascism, people from different countries, nations, social systems, and ideologies united together and, through tremendous sacrifice, secured the triumph of justice and peace, marking the beginning of a new chapter in rebuilding post-war world order and the pursuit of lasting peace for humanity.

It states that over the past 80 years, under the themes of peace and development and propelled by waves of scientific and technological innovation, human civilization has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity, the world has become more interconnected than ever before, and humanity has increasingly become a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe.

It notes that today, 80 years on, transformations of the world unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace. Changes of the world, of their times, and of the historical trajectory are taking place in ways like never before. Once again, humanity has come to a crossroads of unity or division, dialogue or confrontation, win-win cooperation or zero-sum games.

Therefore youth said as representatives of the young people from around the world, they deeply cherish peace and understand the responsibilities borne by their generation. They said only by treasuring peace and upholding unity can humanity embrace a brighter future. 

They said they solemnly issue issue this World Youth Peace Initiative, as a calling on young people across the globe to unite in safeguarding peace, promoting development, and shaping our shared future.

“We call on youth to defend world peace. History must not be distorted; justice must be upheld and peace be safeguarded. Young people of all nations should draw wisdom from history and take concrete actions to defend peace, oppose all forms of war and violence, and reject unilateralism, hegemonism, and protectionism. Together, we should defend the hard-won outcomes of the victory in World War II, safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, and put true multilateralism into practice, to contribute youthful strength to the cause of global peace”, they said.

Moreover, they called on youth to pioneer mutual learning among civilizations saying to safeguard world peace, they should first construct defenses of peace in their minds. 

They added tht young people of all nations should uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority, to contribute youthful wisdom to fostering harmony among civilizations and deepening friendship among peoples.

Again they called for advocacy on win-win cooperation saying development is the cornerstone of peace therefore youth globally should adhere to the philosophy of win-win cooperation and common development. 

They highlighted that by making full use of multilateral and regional mechanisms and platforms, they should deepen and expand youth cooperation, actively participate in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the outcomes of the Summit of the Future, to inject fresh momentum into bridging global development divides and promoting inclusive, equitable global growth.

On the other hand, they pleaded with the youth to tackle climate change as it poses a threat to their shared home on Earth. They urged all young people to act on the spirit of “promoting global solidarity” and actively engage in global climate actions, to demonstrate commitment of the youth in delivering innovative solutions to the climate crisis, improving global ecological governance, and addressing international challenges hand in hand.

Furthermore, they called on youth to promote technologies for social good saying while  technological advances bring opportunities for peace, they also pose new challenges.They emphasised that youth across the world should stand at the forefront of emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, shoulder responsibilities, and work for the goal that technological advances benefit the entire humanity, and that digital development remain inclusive, to contribute youthful solutions to improving global tech governance and building an inclusive, fair, and sustainable global future.

“80 years ago, our predecessors illuminated darkness with unity. 80 years later, it is up to us, the youth to define the future through action. Let us take the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations as a new starting point, unite for peace and work hand in hand for the shared future of mankind”, they stressed.

Over 3,000 young people of the world, all united by the vision of peace and cooperation. Delegations from various places -Latin America, North America, Africa, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe, Conference for Peace, was held at Peking University.

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Source: ChinaDaily