International Day for Peace: Youths can raise their voices without aiding conflicts

Globally, the most powerful agency of social unrest that has led to unending conflicts and war is the use of young people. A young victim and armed fighter in the Congo civil war was asked by a journalist, "Why do you want to kill those people?" He replied, "They said we should kill them because they would kill us." This is a sign of the commonplace use of young people in wars and conflicts that they know nothing about or that are perpetuated for the sordid advantage of a few people.

Young people are influenced to be at the forefront of demonstrations, resistance campaigns, armed warfare, violations, purposeful injustices, etc. In many situations, those crises would be solved if they did not participate in prolonging them. This is not a condemnation of rightful participation, which may involve demonstrations, but of the extremes that endanger lives while there are peaceful avenues that can achieve the same results.

A UN Youth and Armed Conflict report published by the UN Agency Network on Youth Development clearly says, "Children and youth represent the majority of the population in most countries affected by armed conflicts and are thus disproportionately affected by war."

While the young are full of energy and ambition for the good of society, they are also vulnerable to being misled and used to perpetuate harm and destruction. The desire to cause change, to influence the course of action, and to be known and remembered can be pressing, especially in African contexts where most governments are blamed for poor leadership, embezzlement, the inability to end poverty and societal catastrophes, and the non-inclusion of young people in leadership positions that directly and decisively influence the course of affairs in society. Many young people dream of becoming heroes for their deteriorating countries.

As such, while International Day for Peace is a day for advocacy, it is also a reminder of strategizing representation, especially where underrepresentation or unfair representation, especially of young people, causes or results in conflicts and strife and the struggle for agency and power.

The theme for the International Day for Peace this year is "Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the Global Goals." The theme, as the UN briefing says, ‘is a call to action that recognizes the urgent need for individual and collective responsibility to foster peace.’

One might ask, What has this to do with ‘Global Goals,’ or, as properly referred to, the ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’? The response to this is that, with the attainment of the SDGs, there is an undeniable possibility that the level of conflicts globally will significantly reduce. However, these goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved if there is no shift in current methods, principles, praxis, priorities, and focuses of global governance and trade. A problem cannot be solved unless it is recognized as a problem and rightly and strategically approached as one. Unless they are solved, the imbalance and unfair distribution that their absence causes will never deny people a chance to coexist peacefully.

The SDGs seek to address critical human problems that need urgent solutions: hunger, illiteracy, poor healthcare, bad governance, gender imbalances, inequalities in living standards, education, access to clean water, and the availability of affordable energy. Others are the climate crisis, response to natural disasters and their aftereffects, opportunity for decent work and economic growth, life on land and water, and properly functioning justice and governance institutions in order to foster peace.

Young people all over the world are encouraged to be part of the voice that presses for positive change in their communities and countries. But this needs to be done with the right and peaceful approaches, which entails not only coming up with practical ways to solve problems and influence policies but also taking the courage to embrace leadership.

Addressing the youth convened for the One Young World 2017 Plenary Session in Bogota, Colombia, on October 7, 2017, Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, said, "You are never too young to lead and never too old to learn. So put your remarkable energy, your insight, and your passion in the service of reconciliation and peace. The path to peace is yours to construct and pursue."

As young people, we can use all the tools available to us: participating, where possible, actively and courageously in the governing cycles and representing the aspirations and dreams of fellow young people, and indirectly, through the use of art, modern media avenues, and peer advocacy where the former is difficult. The voice of young people can reach the ears of leaders even without resolving to engage in conflicts or instigating social unrest.

Equally, as young people, we are to be careful not to be used by political powers as collaterals for their ambitions, which are often divisive, toxic, and hateful. To achieve global goals and promote peace in our surroundings, our priority should be to influence positive change both individually and collectively.