Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore   

Youth summit seeks poverty eradication

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE Dec. 8. The three-day World Youth Peace Summit concluded here on Tuesday with a call to eradicate poverty and unemployment, the sources of youth unrest in the country. The concluding session of the summit on "Youth involvement in peace-building and conflict resolution" highlighted how the youth across the globe, particularly in India, were living in communities immersed in conflict and turmoil.

The summit pointed out that the youth had an instrumental role in building of peace and resolution of conflicts. However, they remained the most attractive recruiting ground for terrorist outfitsthat misused religious and ideological arguments to misguide the youth.

The speakers, including the former Director-General of Police, Punjab, K.P.S. Gill, and the former student leader and Meghalaya Minister for Youth and Sports, Paul Lyngdoh, said the youth today lacked direction and were having a sense of insecurity. The Government and voluntary agencies should identify the root causes of violence and encourage the youth in playing a decisive role by responding peacefully to the forces of violence, they said.

Mr. Gill reminded that no community, group, or individual gained from violence, which, he said, was dangerous to society and the country.Earlier, participating in the panel discussion on environment, Vandana Shiva called upon the youth to protect nature for their own sake and future development. There was no bigger employer than nature.

Mohammed Afroz, who was booked allegedly on a wrong case of terrorism, explained how he had transformed himself by taking up the Art of Living course in jail in Mumbai recently.

The summit adopted a youth plan of action which would be discussed at the first ever World Youth Peace Summit to be launched at the UN regional headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya from October 23 to 28 next year.

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