Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance | Parwan and Panjshir
The Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance was organized by the Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization in cooperation with the Danish Institute of Higher Education and other leading national and international think tanks on the role of youth in educating and promoting the values of peace, prosperity and tolerance in Parwan province.
A Special delegations of the Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization, religious scholars, youth, university lecturers, students, civil and human rights activists and cultural and social activists from Parwan and Panjshir provinces were participated in the symposium.
At the beginning, the moderator of the program welcomed the participants and guests to the Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance.
Dr. Zia Hussain Yousefi, General Director of Danish Institute of Higher Education, officially inaugurated the Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance, and spoke about the role of the Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization (AELSO), and Danish Institute of Higher Education in holding of this symposium.
Mr. Yousefi added: “Before securing the peace, it is necessary to determine the framework and model of peace to consider its models. In order to achieve peace, human beings must transform society and the nation must be found.”
Then, Mr. Liaqat Ali Askari, a lecturer of Danish Institute of Higher Education and a keynote speaker of the Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance spoke in details about the role of youth in educating and promoting the values of peace, prosperity and tolerance in Afghanistan and said that today’s youth should work for the future; Because they have a vital and important role in peace process of the country.
He added: “63.7 percent of the country’s population is youth under the age of 25, which shows their role in all sectors, especially in the process of peace, tolerance and the fight against extremism.”
Mr. Askari, a university lecturer said that we must move beyond the patriarchal and traditional structure of the society and allow the youth to play their role freely without any barriers. According to him the poverty, insecurity, discrimination and a patriarchal view to youth are the main negative factors which is deterring them to grow and guide the country by a young view and idea.
Mr. Askari continued: “Bringing reforms in the education system, active participation of youth in such programs, raising the level of awareness of youth about the values of open society, tolerance and the negative consequences of extremism are appropriate and significant solutions to combat extremism and promote tolerance among the people of society especially the youths.”
Mr. Rahmatullah Hakimi, Information Officer of the Information and Culture Department of Parwan province, also spoke wisely about the ways to prevent the tendency of youth toward extremism. He said that the youth play a prominent role at all levels; therefore, we must trust them, and this trust must be prove in practical area. He added: “In order to achieve these goals, we must study the victorious secret of all the nations of the world, and this study must be deep and comprehensive.”
In the Q&A section, the experts of the Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance answered the participants’ questions about the main topic of the symposium.
In the next part of the program which was Open Mike section, youth and participants of the Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance expressed their views on the topic of the symposium.
Ahmad Ramin Siddiqui, one of the participants in the youth symposium, said: “Following reason, logic and ethics, the desirability of government for people and avoiding fanatism are the ways to promote peace and tolerance in society.”
Ajmal Kohestani, another participant in the symposium, said: “In order to promote peace and tolerance in the society, we must eradicate ethnic, linguistic and religious contexts in the society and consider the differences as the strengths of our country.”
Finally, the Youth Symposium for Peace and Tolerance ended with the donation of the organization’s books to guests and the distribution of certificates to the participants.
Participants in these programs became the members of the Afghanistan Economic and Legal Studies Organization which with our support, are actively working in their provinces to promote democratic values and pluralism.