'YOUTH BUILDING PEACE' FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Zimbabwe on spotlight!




The Youth are the custodians of development in any country as they dominate the demographics. Being the largest group in history, the youth have a positive role to play in peace building, promotion and maintenance. This also feeds into achieving SDG 16 attaining peaceful societies. Zimbabwe with the youth occupying 67.7 % of the total population, this year's International Youth Day theme Youth Building Peace resonates well as the 2018 elections are around the corner. Despite commitments and pledges from political leaders, Zimbabwe has had violence towards, during and after elections as evidenced in 2008 harmonized elections. The perpetrators of such violence argued to be the youth, only leaves the youth as a vulnerable group that can be used to drive political agendas.
 However, Zimbabwe is known as a peaceful country that has no war, unrest and high risk security threats. Therefore, the Youth Building Peace theme for the International Youth Day speaks to the positive role youth are playing in peace building. The youth have always been associated with violence in Zimbabwe and forgetting the work that is being done by the youth in building, promoting and maintaining peace. 'Without sustainable peace, there is no sustainable development.' The energy of the largest demographic group in Zimbabwe, the youth can be used positively in organized activities to build, promote and maintain peace in conflict situations. The Zimbabwe National Youth Policy also seeks to promote peace with the youth taking the leading role in tolerance, accepting religious diversity, inter cultural education. Any meaningful development can only take place when there is peace.
No investment can be channeled neither can it be promoted when there is no peace. When there is sustainable peace, there can be sustainable development. The United Nations Security Resolution 2250 outlines the five key pillars for action which are participation, protection and prevention, partnerships, disengagement + re integration. The UN member states under this resolution committed to give youth a greater voice in decision making at all levels. The youth are the world's largest demographic group of 1.8 billion and their voices must be heard with Zimbabwe having 67.7% youth.
The youth in Zimbabwe can draw lessons from Kenya where the youth have registered to vote in peace. As Zimbabwe gears towards 2018, a peaceful environment will be determined by how far the youth are willing to commit and pledge for peace in their communities and societies. Tolerance of diverse political affiliations is the first step towards having a peaceful environment ahead of the upcoming elections. The Zimbabwean youth have to take it upon themselves to be the banquets of peace, shun violence at all cost as it does nothing but hate destruction and regression rather than progression.
Peace can only be realized when the Zimbabwean youth accept each other, have a common shared vision and tolerate their different political ideologies and work together for the betterment of our mother land Zimbabwe. Unity of purpose is also an important ingredient in speaking peace hence the Zimbabwean youth must unite to build, promote and maintain sustainable peace in Zimbabwe.
Lets live in peace , peace is development!

#LeaveNoYouthBehind  #Youth4Peace

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