YWCA hosts Int’l Day of Peace activity

Sep 22, 2010 News

Under the theme “Youth for Peace and Development,” International Day of Peace was celebrated yesterday and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Guyana acknowledged the occasion at their Brickdam headquarters.
Present were representatives from the interfaith organisations, Guyana Rastafarian Council, Digicel, GT&T, United Nations, Guyana Police Force (GPF), Merundoi, and Marian Academy, who all delivered pertinent remarks, while there were also dramatic presentations, poems, and short stories.
According to YWCA General Secretary, Glynis Alonzo-Beaton, before advocating for peace one must be at peace with one’s self, and the United Nation’s Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 simplified and prepared by the International Women’s Tribunal Centre states that the number of women should be increased at decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions involved in preventing and managing conflicts.
The General Secretary further noted there are mostly men fighting for power and authority with very few women within the leadership structures and civil society organizations, especially those addressing human rights and democracy are being threatened, and many are forced to close down.
“Once the crisis happens the story is the same, women and girls are the main victims…sexual and gender-based violence becomes the norm…Financial resources, time, skills and expertise, investments in women and girls in peace building means a conscious approach for resources prioritization by various actors and communities,” the YWCA General Secretary stated.
According to National United Nations’ Volunteer, Odessa Primus, if there is going to be change and resolution of conflict in a peaceful manner then there is need to start with the young people, and for that reason that is why the theme is for “Youth for Peace and Development, because if we can change this generation, then the next generation hopefully will be a peaceful one.”
Adding that the media plays an important part in portraying positive messages, Primus said, there should be more positive messages and pictures in the newspapers, since this can affect how the young generation perceive things; while the musicians and Disc Jockeys need to promote peace and positive influences within their music.
“All these things start to work on us psychologically, even before we start to commit crime and resolve conflict; it starts in the mind…the more you hear things the more it becomes a part of you.”
Officer in Charge of the Police Force’s Tactical Services Unit (TSU) Superintendent Clifton Hickens said, peace is a
platform where morals are developed, and “peace for me is a cordial camaraderie that takes the form of a circle, which has no beginning or no end, just like Alexander the Great, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and other intermediaries who fought the good fight to maintain world peace and have left a legacy for organisations such as the United Nations’ to maintain such, through its peace keeping mandate.”
Superintendent Hickens noted that the members of the GPF also support such causes since it is a part of their directive to uphold peace by maintaining law, order and stability which also promotes peace.
And according to UN representative, Trevor Benn, the body has embarked upon a programme called the enhanced public trust and security programme, in which the main focus is young people of Guyana. In addition, the project has initiated the United Nations’ volunteer programme with 45 youths from across the coast working with different organisations promoting peace and peaceful coexistence among the people of the organisations in which they serve.

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YWCA hosts Int’l Day of Peace activity

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