Peace, in our opinion, the definition of peace is a world through which there are not any conflicts and folks can live in harmony without worrying that they can be killed, robbed and embroiled in a conflict through which they can be victims or suspects.
But the truth on the planet can be contrary to our mind’s perception of peace. The world we live in today is stuffed with conflict in some areas. So achieving peace is the dream of most individuals.
There are many peace agents who work individually or as a part of organizations. Many efforts have been made to attain peace, through aid donations, interfaith dialogue, conferences and peace programs.
The United Nations (UN), as the biggest organization on the planet, has many programs fighting to attain peace.
N-Peace from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Asia and the Pacific is one in all the UN programs that goals to attain peace. Founded in 2010, N-Peace focuses on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
In N-Peace, the nomination concerns peacebuilders from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines, Burma and Sri Lanka.
There are 4 categories; Untold Stories, Campaigns for Action (women), Campaigns for Action (men) and Generating Peace (women).
We are comfortable to announce that 3 young people from Southeast Asia were nominated:
- Anindya Nastitti Restuviani from Indonesia (Campaigns for Action category)
Anindya is a women’s rights activist within the Jakarta community. She has been involved in many alternative initiatives that advocate for various feminist issues in Indonesia, with a selected deal with sexual and reproductive rights.
Through her role as Events Chair of the Feminist Discussion Group of Jakarta (Fem Fest), Anindya helps provide protected spaces where Jakarta women can discuss the gender-related difficulties they face. She also coordinated the primary Women’s March in Jakarta. As co-director of Hollaback Jakarta, a movement that goals to finish harassment in public spaces, Anindya helped develop a mobile app to share and discuss stories of harassment. She also created a web based module for intervention training for bystanders coping with harassment.
Anindya has been involved in influencing policy and legal reform regarding sexual and reproductive rights in Indonesia. She was a part of the team that created a petition advocating the rejection of changes to the penal code that may criminalize extramarital relations, cohabitation and the exchange of knowledge on family planning not provided by a legal authority. Through her work, Anindya promotes people to change into more energetic participants within the fight for gender equality in Indonesia.
- Diah Sulung Syafitri from Indonesia (Peace Generation Category)
Diah Sulung Syafitri spreads the spirit of volunteerism and the values of peace amongst younger members of her community by engaging them as volunteers in conflict areas in Indonesia. Since joining the Global Peace Foundation Indonesia (GPFI) as a volunteer in 2014, she has demonstrated her passion for peacebuilding by leading various social cohesion initiatives, including GPFI’s charity program that helped the people of Aceh overcome the 2016 earthquake. 2017, she was further recognized for conducting youth interfaith dialogues between the Muslim and Christian communities in Yogyakarta, aimed toward stopping ongoing religious misunderstandings and supporting a culture of peace.
Her efforts were recognized internationally when she was appointed a Young Ambassador for Sustainable Development by UNDP Indonesia in 2017 and took part within the Young Southeast Asia Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) as a participant in 2017. She was also invited as Indonesia’s delegate to the UN Security Council Regional Meeting on Youth within the Asia-Pacific region, where she was capable of provide precious comments on peacebuilding on the local level and contribute to international youth volunteering efforts and peacebuilding processes. Her achievements in promoting a culture of volunteerism, inclusiveness and non secular tolerance are an inspiration to young people in Indonesia.
- Althea Dannia Esmael from the Philippines (Peace Generation Category)
Althea Dannia Esmael is an influential peace advocate within the Bangsamoro, Mindanao, a region within the southern Philippines that’s suffering from sectarian conflict and violent extremism. Instead of using strong measures to resolve conflicts, Althea proposes a non-violent approach to achieving social cohesion in her community, especially towards younger generations, by conducting peace education, organizing interfaith dialogues, campaigning against violent extremism and recruiting Muslim youth by extremist groups. Althea was the founder and coordinator of the Salaam Movement, a youth-led organization that advocates for peace within the Mindanao region. He is currently working on his Master’s degree and continues to be very energetic in youth initiatives regarding PVE and peacebuilding. She is recognized for her work to empower youth and ladies and her efforts to advertise a culture of peace and non secular tolerance.
As nominees, they need our vote to win the N-Awards, but an important thing isn’t winning the award itself, but what the following step they’ll take after winning the award can be. There are many young individuals who only take into consideration their lives and don’t want to contribute to society. Peace is definitely our responsibility, which suggests that every of us is liable for constructing peace in order that the world is conflict-free and folks can live in harmony.
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