items of interest

with contributions from Imtiaz Muqbil, Linda K. Wertheimer, Mark Mcguire, Susan Williams

"Preparations are underway for the first World Youth Peace Summit to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on October 23–28, 2004. The event is expected to bring together about 2,000 youth leaders representing business, government, religion, science, civil society, the arts, and cultural communities in an effort to mobilize them to play a more active role in conflict resolution and in global healing and reconciliation as never before....

"A direct result of a resolution issued by the Millennium World Peace Summit held at the UN headquarters in New York in August 2000, the Youth Peace Summit is designed to help youth leaders draw upon the wisdom and experience of their elders ... to develop and promote mutual understanding, respect, and harmony amongst youth, to become a new generation of global leaders.

"Says Mr. Bawa Jain, Chairman of the Summit, 'More than half of the world's six billion people are below the age of 35. ...' According to the World Health Organization's Report on Health and Violence, armed violence is one of the leading causes of death for people ages 15–44, and about 35 people are killed every hour as a direct result of armed conflict. 'What can we do to help unite the youth leaders of the world to stop the violence?' Mr. Jain asks. 'For example,' he says, 'technological advances, media, the Internet, and transportation have brought young people from across the globe closer together, transcending traditions and borders. At the summit, direct dialogue and personal interaction will facilitate these forms of communication for deeper understanding in today's global community.'"

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