UNITED NATIONS: Underscoring the need for overcoming negative stereotypes of young people, Pakistan has called for tapping their potential and creativity in an effort to prevent conflict and build peace.
"Inspired by hope and optimism and an unbridled sense of idealism, the young are agents of change in their communities and societies," Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the Security Council on Monday.
Despite being repositories of the world's greatest hopes, young people found themselves at the forefront of some of its biggest challenges, she said in an open Council debate on youth, peace and security that featured the first ever United Nations report on the topic.
They faced socio-economic inequalities, political and social exclusion, discrimination and a lack of fair opportunity, the Pakistani envoy said. The young were also some of the worst victims in situations of armed conflict, humanitarian crises, foreign occupation and long standing and unresolved disputes. Their sense of justice is aroused and their patience tested by the inconsistent and often selective global response to their pain and suffering, she said.
Yet, the fundamental causes enraging youth were often conspicuous by their absence in discourse on such issues. "If one has nothing to live for, one finds something to die for," Ambassador Lodhi said, before calling on the international community to break the nexus between desperation and hopelessness.
For far too long, Ambassador Lodhi said young men had been considered perpetrators of violence and young women as victims. While a small minority of youth took to violence, sweeping mischaracterizations of young populations had exacerbated their sense of marginalization.
In that light, it was time to recognize that youth were not merely instruments of war making, but essential peace-building partners, the Pakistani envoy told the 15-member Council. "They are architects for economic and social development and the establishment of effective, inclusive institutions," she added.
As for Pakistan, she said her government was implementing comprehensive strategies to counter the narrative of extremism, and at the same time, engage the country's youth so that they could become productive members of the society.
"We have adopted a whole of society approach, based on engagement with civil society including faith leaders, local communities and the media to promote the concept of a plural society based on building peaceful and harmonious communities, the Pakistani envoy said. A major focus of that approach, she said, has been the empowerment of youth at the grassroots level by engaging them in decision-making processes. "We are also investing in youth to provide them the opportunity to live their dreams and enable them to become Pakistan's future leaders.