Youth Event at 7th UNAOC Global Forum in Baku

25 April 2016. The 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations started today in Baku, Azerbaijan, gathering more than 2000 world leaders, visionaries, innovators and stakeholders to discuss issues of preventing violence, deconstructing terror and creating peaceful and inclusive societies on the local, regional and international level. UNTV

The 7th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations started today in Baku, Azerbaijan, gathering more than 2000 world leaders, visionaries, innovators and stakeholders to discuss issues of preventing violence, deconstructing terror and creating peaceful and inclusive societies on the local, regional and international level.

The 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations is dedicated to “Living together in Inclusive Societies”.

More than 150 young people, selected from all over the world, gathered at the Youth Forum to meet, network and together create “Narratives of Tomorrow”, articulating their vision and solutions for a world of diverse, inclusive and peaceful societies.

The United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser emphasised the importance of empowering youth to make them part of the ongoing process of changing the world.

The Alliance supported many youth-led initiatives grassroots programmes , knowing that peaceful and inclusive societies cannot be built without the participation of young people.

The participants had already started to network and share ideas online and now met face to face for more concerted action, knowledge sharing and advocacy.

Many of them have experienced conflict and tragedies directly in their communities and started their own initiatives for change. Abdelkareem Shefiu works with the group Interfaith in Nigeria, successfully reintegrating former Boko Haram members into society and training imams to teach peace and inclusion.

Ranim from Damascus in Syria works with Mobaderoon – ‘the Initiative-Takers’ – a group of 5,000 local initiative takers across Syria, striving every day to make life easier for children and young people surrounded by conflict in near-impossible circumstances.

Ahmed Alhendawi, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, says during the sessions of the Youth Forum the participants made clear that they wanted to be seen as part of the solution in fighting intolerance and extremism, not part of the problem. In shaping and sharing new narratives, young people became not only the leaders of tomorrow – but leaders of today.