As the UN commemorates its 75th anniversary this year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN75 global conversation on building the future we want.
Global Peace has pledged its support to the UN75 initiative to engage in forward-looking conversations across the world on aspirations for the future, global threats and the critical role of international co-operation. Global Peace plans to host seventy-five (75) IGDs across the world to generate ideas and solutions for building shared values and dealing with the most complex challenges of our time.
In support of UN75 to bring together diverse groups – especially those not often heard – to shape a new global dialogue, Global Peace held an Inter-Generational Dialogue on 2 January 2020 in Pokhara, Nepal with a group of learners and educators at the Shree Janachetan Secondary School, hosted by the school’s principal, Mr. Nirmal Adhikari.
Dr. Vasu Gounden, Global Peace Founder, together with Mr Brett Mohanathan facilitated the discussions, sharing with learners that Global Peace completed 25 IGDs in 2019 in various countries across the world where young leaders engaged with decision-makers about development challenges and their impact on our future. The IGD held in Pokhara was the first for 2020 as part the UN75 partnership.
The dialogue questions reflected on why global peace should be created, what the concerns were for learners about the future and what were their plans and aspirations for their own futures. The learners’ contributions included the importance of access to employment in the future, and the instrumental role of quality education as part of this process.
University education in Nepal is not free and access to financial resources was a challenge to studying further towards having access to better job prospects. Some learners also have to travel long distances to attend the school each day. With high rates of poverty across Nepal, the facilitators shared that poverty must be something you escape, and that education is an important step towards this. Learners expressed that they could help the people of Nepal with more job training and skills development to increase their opportunities for employment.
The environment in Nepal was touched upon and the learners were asked if it is being destroyed. Environmental pollution and deforestation are issues. Industries have been developed but not all are eco-friendly and their impact is being felt in the rural areas.
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In closing the dialogue, the learners were enthusiastic about a Global Peace club being established at their school and seeing how they could connect with other learners globally towards finding solutions to our common challenges.
In echoing the words of UN Secretary-General Guterres, “Together we can learn from peoples across the world how we can improve in tackling the global challenges of our time.” Global Peace is looking forward to convening more global conversations in the months ahead to build on our collective action and we look forward to further engagement with the learners of the Shree Janachetan Secondary School.
