Young Africans from Children for Peace and the African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development (ANYL4PSD) have supported the UN Secretary-General's call for a global ceasefire and joined the Basel Peace Office project Youth voices for the climate, peace and nuclear disarmament.
Call for a global ceasefire
In a detailed statement Armed conflict, corona virus pandemic and a ceasefire: Impact on children in Africa, Divina Maloum, founder of Children for Peace and co-winner with Greta Thunberg of the influential 2019 International Children’s Peace Prize, outlines the impact of armed conflict on children and on public health systems in Africa. She warns about the dire humanitarian consequences if governments and militias continue fighting, rather than cooperating to prevent spread of the coronavirus and mitigate its impact on public health and the economy.
‘Healthcare systems across Africa could collapse under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic since conflict-hit regions have many hospitals that have already been damaged and the basics such as clean water and soap necessary to fight the virus are in short supply due to armed conflict. The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war. The global ceasefire is absolutely essential for an effective response to the crisis in areas of conflict. War doesn’t make any sense when we have an epidemic that affects us all.’ Divina Maloum, founder of Children for Peace and winner of the 2019 International Children's Peace Prize.“Children are among the most vulnerable sections of civil society and have been the innocent victims of war and extremism globally and especially in Africa,” says Kehkashan Basu, Youth Ambassador for the World Future Council and the 2016 Winner of the International Chlldren's Peace Prize.
“With dwindling resources and investments, the opportunities for education and healthcare, that are so critical for the development of children, are under tremendous strain pushing them further into poverty with the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to be the literal death knell. If we are to achieve the SDG targets, we have to stop immediately further investment in weapons of mass destruction, declare unilateral ceasefires in all conflict zones and focus all our resources in development that benefits the current and future generations.'
The Guardian reports that eleven countries locked in long-term conflicts have now responded to the UN call for a worldwide ceasefire, and the number of supporting countries in total has risen to 70. However, the UN Secretary-General notes that ‘“there was still a distance between declarations and deeds in many countries”.
A global petition supporting the ceasefire has already gained over 1.6 million endorsers. Click here to add your support.
African youth voices for the climate, peace and nuclear disarmament
As the corona-virus pandemic is curtailing international meetings and forcing people to stay home, the Basel Peace Office and the Abolition 2000 Youth Network are helping to amplify and spread the voices of youth through a video project Youth Voices for the Climate, Peace and Nuclear Disarmament.
Members of Children for Peace and ANYL4PSD (and other African youth) have joined the project and submitted a number of videos, including from Raphaelle (Cameroon), Christian (Republic of Congo), Terrie (Kenya), Divina (Cameroon), Lana (South Africa), Patrick (Cameroon) and Emmanuelle (Cameroon).
These are being added to other youth videos from around the world and promoted on social media (including Basel Peace Office facebook page). A compilation video will be presented to the United Nations as part of the ECOSOC Youth Forum which will be held at the UN in New York once conditions allow.
Terrie from Kenya, with a video statement on peace, climate and disarmament.
Basel Peace Office and Abolition 2000 Youth Network are also inviting policy makers and civil society leaders to watch the youth videos and respond - thus advancing inter-generational dialogue. Click here for examples of responses.
Click here for more background on Children for Peace and ANYL4PSD.