The Final Declaration of the Summit
Everything you need to know about the students’ final declaration of the 15th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
In our first story here on Medium Italiano, we shared what the Italian Delegation to the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is and what exactly its mission is. Today, I would like to tell you more about our project “The Final Declaration of the Summit”, a workshop organised by students with the support of the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (PERMSEC).
Let’s start from the beginning
#YouthforPeace was born as a way to give young people the chance to express themselves and tell Nobel Peace Laureates (NPLs) what are, in their views, the most important questions that we should be focused on today. The first idea to relaunch the project of a Youth Final Statement came thanks to the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (PERMSEC) advisors’ genuine passion for human rights and for how young people can impact the planet, engaging international actors, such as NPLs.
In September, the idea of developing an international youth declaration was structured together with the PERMSEC, thanks mainly to the hard work of Professor Enzo Le Fevre Cervini, Senior Lecturer at LUISS University in Rome, International Law, and Efrem Garlando إبراه. At the very beginning of October, the PERMSEC shared with us that the project was going to be one of the main activities of the World Summit, designating the workshop as the official time in which students would come together to author the Youth Declaration.
Since then, our delegation had been working very hard to put on paper all of the various proposals for this Declaration, asking other actors to make their part in order to structure the project.
The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations became the perfect topic in order to start this tradition.
All around the world, for Peace
Then, a few weeks before the Summit, Louis Venturelli and Julia Hvoslef, Albert Schweitzer Institute, Quinnipiac University, and Leila Mousavi Takieh of Youth Association for Peace, created the first network composed by some delegations which attended the Summit, helping us with the organisation of the project.
We held the workshop and collectively we wrote down our ideas and statements. It was a great success.
On the stage
More than 540 international students, represented by 2 students per delegation, had the chance to tell NPLs their own view concerning the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations during the closing ceremony of the Summit.
Approximately 17 young men and women read 17 suggestions for each goal, according to their ideas and comments.
Preamble
15th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates — Barcelona, 14 November 2015
The International Student Delegations at the 15th World Summit of the Nobel Peace Laureates want to affirm their collective contribution to demonstrate the youths’ total engagement in achieving the most important global priority of our time: Peace for all.
Young people need to learn about, implement, monitor, and review the following global solutions through a neutral arena in which they can freely discuss ideas with committed leaders. According to this fundamental position, we believe in the support of the Nobel Peace Laureates as real examples of Peace Leaders, and of the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, as the most suitable hub for the discussion of youth stakeholders.
This Final Declaration represents a milestone engagement for present and future generations of youth actively involved in the World Summit. It is framed by the newly ratified Sustainable Development Goals, in which we believe the following:
Eradicate the social and economic disease that is poverty through the immediate and effective implementation of the fundamental basic human rights of all; this can be achieved by proper access to housing, drastic improvement of education at all levels, equal opportunity and environment for employment, eradication of hunger, basic access to sanitation and a safe environment in which we live.
As following to end hunger, we want to inspire and encourage our generation and the one to come to stand on the right side of history, by adopting sustainable, efficient, flexible, creative initiatives, which educate and raise awareness about nutrition and agricultural development in local communities worldwide.
We call to action all the governments and organisations across the globe to implement affordable access to high quality health care for every individual and to focus on preventative measures including education, the abolishment of life-threatening weapons and the establishment of nurturing social and natural environments.
We call on youth to advocate for increased government spending on education, for example by defunding the military, and to support and empower each other to ensure that every person, regardless of identity, has an education that enables them to achieve their full potential as global citizens, who thrive in the modern economy, and can thus, contribute to the realization of all SDGs in their own country and the world.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights regardless of gender or sexuality accomplished through education and institutional policies.
Recognizing the challenges relating to lack of universal access to clean water and proper sanitation, particularly in developing nations, and their impact on global public health, the environment, and community-building, the role of youth will be to address the obstacles in implementing and managing clean and sustainable water resources and educating communities regarding proper sanitation practices and efficient, environmentally-friendly water usage to prioritize the protection and health of current and future generations.
Governments shall devote more time and money as well as make it easier for new businesses to explore or create affordable sustainable energy, to help rid the dependence on fossil fuels and decrease pollution.
We fully believe in the right of equal access to a dignified source of income, and therefore call all youths to action to protect this right by applying economic pressure, through consumer boycotts, demonstrations, or any other peaceful and lawful mean, to all economic actors who ignore international standards and prioritize profit over the well-being of laborers.
Due to the use of modern means of transportation and new technologies, distances worldwide are shrinking. The gap between nations in reference to their developments and standards in industry, innovation and infrastructure though is not one that can be bridged in the same way. We — as the generation of the future — have to realise that our individuality is what we all have in common. We should not only accept this diversity but should make the most of it. By bringing together all our talents and personalities in order to achieve a steadily growing development, we have the possibility to really make a change in the future not only of nations but of people.
Financial inequality, ongoing colonisation, refusal of reconciliation, institutionalised and non-institutionalised discrimination, and the disparate distribution and development of agricultural and medical resources are just a few of the challenges concerning the reduction of inequality; the role of youth is key to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through raising awareness and constantly learning; an effective preliminary solution for eliminating these social constructs is to encourage the unconditional appreciation of all human life.
As a youth congregation, we expect our generation to be aware of the necessary changes that cities, communities and human settlements require in order to be safer, more inclusive and sustainable; and thus, be able to face the challenges that come with the collective and participatory actions that are needed to improve transport systems, housing conditions and green public areas.
We believe that the youth should make “responsibility” an essential element of their everyday life, innovating and connecting the concept of consumption and production in order to return to a natural harmony on our planet.
We, the youth, acknowledged and resolved that climate change is detrimental to the whole of humanity and that member countries of the UN should take the following actions or measures to solve the problems of climate change: reduce carbon emissions, fund green energy initiatives, set-up a national institution that will deal with climatic situations, allocate about 10% of their budget to solve climate change, conservation of forest trees should be legislated into a national policy, train people to be experts in solving or dealing with climate change, sea erosion, and the youthful generation should be the driving force because we will inherit the world that is at risk.
Life started in water and if it stops there, it will stop everywhere — it is thus a humanitarian imperative to take sustainable and preserving measures to protect all life below water and water itself.
Sustainable peace and environmental stewardship go hand in hand — humankind depends upon collective and responsible use of all resourses, such as forests, minerals and land.
We want to protect and to be protected, we want to listen and to be listened to: we commit to creating a culture of peace that will be achieved through equal youth representation in trustworthy and transparent institutions promoting equal justice.
We need global partnerships that, through monitoring and evaluation, promote the good use of resources, fair trade tariffs, proper financial allocation, successful implementation of technological capabilities, international support and relations and the empowerment of local people. There needs to be a significant increase in the representation of people from developing countries at significant increase in the representation of people from developing countries at significant global events, such as this one, in order for truly inclusive dialogue to take place.
Conclusion
We reaffirm the example of the Nobel Peace Laureates in achieving all of the possible and seemingly impossible outcomes for our diverse society towards a common global community in which peace exists for one and for all.
But we would love to see others to be involved in this. That’s why we are using Medium: we want to create a global conversation, between young people and students, in order to make this Declaration the most sharable as possibile.
Join us!
Do you want to join us? Are you interested in human rights and peace? Please, use the hashtag #YouthforPeace on Twitter and Facebook. We will surely take your comments into consideration!
Special thanks
to Louis Venturelli, who checked this post for you before publication. ;)
