IPYG, Youth movements for building peace in South Africa

Youth movements for building peace
in South Africa

Youth DPCW Poster

For further reference
IPYG Official Website:
http://ipyg.org/

IPYG and AU youth movements discussed Sustainable Development Goals and roles on achieving peace under the title ‘A Piece by Peace: A Sustainable Peace Dialogue’

‘A Piece by Peace: A Sustainable Peace Dialogue’ was co-hosted by Africa Unite (AU) and the International Peace Youth Group on the 23rd February in Cape Town, South Africa. The topic of the forum was: How can we as youth, working with government ensure that we build safe and peaceful communities and create a culture of peace enshrined in the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War.

Among the 70 participants included Councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe of the Western Cape City Council, Katie Trippe intern at Africa unite, and Senior Research & Monitoring Specialist of African Monitor, Yared Tsegay.

This event was held with the goal of finding practical measures to achieve peace in the community, as well as keeping in line with sustainable development goals of South Africa.

In the event, participants were informed about global peace building measures provided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), that addresses the establishment of peace as a culture.

HWPL Official Website:

http://www.hwpl.kr

Participants and audience members came up with many solutions with regards to the socio-economic problems of Cape Town and the realities of the problems that people are facing daily.

The event started off with a speech from AU intern, Katie Trippe, addressing the meaning of peace and cooperation among the two host organisations.

She stated: “Africa Unite and the IPYG have collaborated to bring this dialogue to you because we have the common goal of empowering the local youth to become active citizens in advocating for peace, as well as to attain sustainable peace through ending the culture of violence, which we believe is a realistic, achievable goal for all of Cape Town’s communities.”

Vesta Mangwiro, representative of the IPYG stressed that peace is the core subject for sustainable development.

She said, “The lack of peace and stability is the root provoking the issues like violence, poor education and gangsterism that our communities are facing today.

Youth Group photo at IPYG Peace Forum

She also added that the primary goal for IPYG is to achieve world peace and the cessation of all wars and conflict through the DPCW through collective efforts of youth across the world.

The DPCW, drafted by 21 international law experts, is composed of 10 Articles and 38 Clauses. The IPYG representative added that community issues can be reduced and eradicated by changing the thoughts of young people through a culture of peace – where they love and embrace each other.

Recognizing the imminent threats posed by conflicts and wars, prominent legal experts from various countries came together with a determination to produce a new legal document that could serve as a foundation for a safe and peaceful world. Through their collaborative efforts, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) was drafted and officially proclaimed on 14 March 2016, at 3:14 PM.
http://peacelaw.org/site/declaration

HWPL is taking this article to action globally, through peace education and “Legislate Peace” Campaign which has received more than about 700,000 signatures of support to make the DPCW a legally binding document.

IPYG Cape Town Branch and Africa Unite have been working in partnership since 2016. Both organisations promote more participation of youth in local peace activities to support the DCPW.

Katie Trippe, AU host said “We pledge to take the information we have gathered tonight and follow up with the challenges and solutions raised by our youth, local community members, and stakeholders and to do our part in the attainment of sustainable peace.”

IPYG is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, which has affiliate organizations with 4.6 million members in 110 countries. For the cessation of war and world peace, IPYG is working to enlighten youth with their role in peace building with two main visions: ‘Youth protecting themselves from wars’ and ‘Leaving peace as a legacy for future generations’.

South Africa is still one of the areas with a lot of conflicts, as it is ranked 126th out of 162 countries in Global Peace Index. If the youth of South Africa consisting 46% of total population raise their voice for peace, it will be a great help in resolving local conflicts.