UN message of peace heard in Malakal

September 21, 2010 (MALAKAL) — Head of Office for United Nations Mission in Sudan in Malakal Sector read out a message from the United Nations (UN) Secretary General at a gathering on Tuesday, calling on governments and other partners to build a world of peace and tolerance, to rescue young people from the forces of extremism.

The message delivered at events commemorating the International Day of Peace in Malakal town, September 21, 2010, noted that this year it was is dedicated to young people. This month also marks the beginning of the International Year of Youth.

“Young people should join us; help us to work for peace. You are impatient. You see what we, your elders, allow to persist, year after year: poverty and hunger; injustice and impunity; environmental degradation,’’ said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the statement.

Moon also called on the young and old to help the UN in finding solutions to the prevailing global problems, in order to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), ahead of 2015 deadline.

MDGs include halving extreme poverty globally and stopping the spread of AIDS. They were given the fast approaching target date of 2015.

Bruyn, who spoke on behalf of the UN in Malakal, told the youths to fight for their rights and ensure peace prevailed. He said young people should reject being called ‘tomorrow’s nation,’ because they are the nation of today, tomorrow and after tomorrow.

“You should build a culture of bringing development by yourselves. Forget about the politicians’ promises, they are impossible to attain,” he said.

Earlier, the youths urged the government to establish education curricula that incorporate peace and harmony. Reading a speech on behalf of the youths, Lucy Otto, a student at Malakal Secondary School, urged the government and Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to help develop a syllabus incorporating peace studies from primary school onwards.

“The government should improve the infrastructure and other social services and include the involvement of youth in policy making and implementation because they are the nation’s hope,’’ she said Otto.

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by resolution 36/67 of the UN General Assembly to coincide with its opening session, which is held annually on the third Tuesday of September.

The First Peace Day was observed in September 1982, however in 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote adopted resolution 55/282, which established an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.

Simon Kun Puoc, Governor of Upper Nile State, called on the international community to increase efforts to bring peace to the Sudan, to end decades of sufferings in the country, saying Sudan is part of the global community and “when there is a pain in one part of the body, the other parts hardly enjoys, because suffering of one part of the body affects the other. Therefore, any discomforts in Sudan, affect the rest of the world.”

“Peace is the foundation of development in any country and if it vanishes the country suffers,” said the Governor. He stated that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) is committed to peace and urged residents to immediately report anything that may threaten it, such as the networks of criminals who could have links outside the country.

The SPLM is the ruling party in the semi-autonomous region of southern Sudan. In January 2011 its citizens are scheduled to vote on secession from the north, in realization of one the Comprehensive Agreement’s (CPA) stipulations. The signing of the CPA in January 2005 saw north and south lay down arms after 22 years of civil war.

(ST)