Led by its Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Vasu Gounden, Global Peace hosted 68 leaders drawn from different sectors of industry, in 60 cities across 55 countries, to participate in the first Global Peace Conveners meeting. Held virtually, the Conveners’ meeting reinforced the vision of Global Peace in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of Global Peace is to act as a catalyst for collaborative efforts that create social compacts between governments, multilateral agencies, the private sector and young people, towards generating innovative solutions to ongoing global challenges.
The inaugural meeting also expressed appreciation for, and commended, the work of the Conveners who coordinated 31 Inter-Generational Dialogues in 2019. The meeting further reflected on the next steps: the consolidation and planning of the IGDs as part of UN75, the expansion of the Global Peace network and the Futures Forum.
In his opening message, Dr. Gounden stressed the need for young people to shape their destiny, stating passionately that the current global leadership is severely challenged to build the kind of world young people deserve to inherit; hence the urgent need to involve young people in global development and decision-making. Dr. Vasu Gounden further indicated that working through young people across the world and with key stakeholders, Global Peace will become an ecosystem for Ideas, Innovators, Influencers, Investors and Implementers to find practical solutions to global challenges, enhancing conflict prevention and strengthening the global multilateral system.
Dr. Vasu Gounden used the opportunity to introduce the Futures Forum, underscoring the urgency of the new platform to amplify the voices of young leaders from around the world and present them with an opportunity to share their concerns and fears and more importantly to have them provide solutions and policy proposals that can provide decision-makers with additional informed options and resources to solve the current and future crises. He said that Global Peace wants to engage with dynamic young people in rich conversation, and wants young people to gravitate across the world to what interests them. Other speakers from the Global Peace Team were Ms. Karishma Rajoo, Coordinator of Special Projects and Global Peace; Mr. Mawuli Kobla Asamani, Coordinator of Campaign and Advocacy and Global Peace Inter-Generational Dialogues; and Dr. Okito Wedi, Coordinator of Global Peace Futures Forum.
The conveners were drawn from the following countries: Egypt, Panama, Gabon, Tanzania, Burundi, Niger, Chad, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Togo, Nepal and Brazil. Others included Rwanda, India, Colombia, Argentina, Namibia, Ethiopia, Denmark, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chile, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Indonesia, Philippines, Malawi, Zambia, Israel, Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Gambia, Morocco, Bulgaria, Fiji, Cape Verde, United States of America, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Japan, Russia and Ghana.
Solidarity messages were presented by selected Global Peace Conveners to consolidate global efforts towards realising the vision of Global Peace. These included Misheck Kakonde: President of Zambia National Students Union, Mariam Gamal Geris: Public Health Specialist, Ministry of Health – Egypt, Adv. Dr. Shaiju David Alfi: Chairman, Dr. Kalam Smriti International Science and Space – India, Prof. (Dr.) S. Sivakumar: Indian Law Institute, and Tamires Gomes Sampaio: Director Lula Institute, Brazil, Nicolás Barcos: NEP – Argentina, Dr. Thomas Chacko: Researcher: State University of New York, Terez Lord: CARICOM, Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network, Trinidad & Tobago, Prof. Dr. Zahid Haque: Senior Advisor World Sports Alliance – Malaysia and David Sikharulidze: Deputy Chair, Eurasian Research Institute for Peace Development, Russia.
The inaugural meeting was successful with the participants resolving to commit to the work of Global Peace by expanding the vision and network towards working together to build a better world.
