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Youth take over the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations


Kicking off day one was the Youth Forum, where more than 150 youth delegations gathered at the 16th-century military Forte de São Julião da Barra, spreading a message of peace, solidarity and cross-cultural understanding .

Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, said at the opening session: “As young people, you must rebel and spread your dreams. “Now you are told that your future is bleak, but you are the new generation. You are the bridge generation that wants to create a better world.”

As conflicts erupt in Gaza, Ukraine and beyond, Mr. Moratinos said that in this chaotic and unstable time of war, the challenges are enormous. His triple message to young people is to maintain efforts towards peace, save the planet and tackle technological challenges, such as the spread of misinformation and disinformation online and artificial intelligence (WHO).

The 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations began with the Youth Forum in Cascais, Portugal.

The 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations began with the Youth Forum in Cascais, Portugal.

Navigate between virtual and reality

“You are the generation moving between the virtual and the real,” the High Representative said, encouraging them to take the lead.

Many of them were like that. Throughout the day, young people exchanged stories about how they are promoting peace in their communities and building more intergenerational bridges.

For Lynda Nkechi Emmanuel, who works in northwestern Nigeria, violence and kidnapping are a reality.

“I work in a conflict zone,” she said. “In this situation, you discover that the main cause of conflict is misinformation, communication gaps, misinformation, disinformation and fake news online.”

She said she enjoys working with local communities to help them tackle misinformation and find the truth. For her, coming to the meeting of the United Nations Alliance was a “wonderful opportunity” and a wonderful platform given to young people around the globe for free.

“It’s an avenue for their voices to be heard not just locally and not just in their community,” she said.

Youth Forum participants brought a message of peace to the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Cascais, Portugal.

Youth Forum participants brought a message of peace to the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Cascais, Portugal.

‘You have to listen differently’

Echoing that message, Shreya Jani, a peace education consultant from India and veteran of UNAOC programs, said she first attended a Coalition conference in 2006. While laughing, she added that she is now “old” but she continues to build peace, from Kabul. to Manipur.

“You have to listen differently,” she said of her work in Jammu and Kashmir from 2012 to 2019, adding that a lot of diversity “was crushed” because of the “us vs. “them” imposes on everyone.

“You have to suspend your view of what nationalism is,” she explains. “There is one government and one country. You must let humanity overcome.

To do that, she organized a month-long photography workshop for young people so they could literally look through a different lens to understand different perspectives. For her, the Youth Forum is a place to meet and share experiences.

“I think celebration is a core part of the humanitarian aid work that people do and the world needs to celebrate and amplify those voices more,” she said.

“I was feeling a bit tired and hopeless about the world and where it was heading, so when I received this invitation, I accepted immediately because I would hear about so many young people and their noble efforts. their work, and that will give me a little bit of energy to do my own work.”

Delegates attending the Youth Forum get ready for the opening session in Cascais, Portugal.

Delegates attending the Youth Forum get ready for the opening session in Cascais, Portugal.

International film festival

After the Youth Forum concluded, delegates moved to the Estoril Convention Center for the evening at the PURAL+ Youth Video Festival. Students from second grade to teenagers are among the directors of 32 films honored at the festival, sponsored by the Alliance and the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Telling stories from around the world on migration, diversity and inclusion, these young filmmakers tackle topics from fighting discrimination to celebrating diversity religion.

One person is from Dativa Mahanyu from the United Republic of Tanzania. She is recognized for her animated film, Fiditells the story of a 16-year-old autistic boy who becomes a hero in the face of discrimination. Watch the entire movie This.

“The Youth Forum opened my mind,” she said. “I met a lot of people. It was a wake-up call for us to do more of what we were doing.”

See the full PURAL+ 2024 playlist This.

Watch the ceremony on United Nations Web TV This.

Filmmakers Dativa Mahanyu (left) and Mariam Mintanga are using art to fight discrimination against people with disabilities, including autism, in their community in Tanzania.

Filmmakers Dativa Mahanyu (left) and Mariam Mintanga are using art to fight discrimination against people with disabilities, including autism, in their community in Tanzania.

From Curiosity ARRIVE Ancient timesmeet some young PURAL+ directors

The young directors of 32 films honored at the PURAL+ 2024 Youth Video Festival attended the ceremony on the sidelines of the Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

They saw their stories on the big screen from communities around the world on the themes of migration, diversity and inclusion.

Different Gods

That includes the teen’s producers Deuses Distintos (Different Gods)The festival gave special recognition to combating xenophobia and discrimination.

Students along with their teachers from the Municipality of Escola Santa Terezinha emphasized the importance of embracing Brazil’s rich religious diversity.

“Religious racism is a big problem in Brazil, especially for African heritage religions, like Candomblé,” said 14-year-old Bárbara dos Santos. “This film looks at that issue.”

Phelister Amondi Awuor, co-producer of 'Include Me'.

Courtesy of Phelister Amondi Awuor

Phelister Amondi Awuor, co-producer of ‘Include Me’.

Including me

Recognized for ages 18 to 25, Including me co-produced by Phelister Amondi Awuor and Walter Mwori Athobwa from Kenya.

Ms. Awuor said she called the film “a short poem about the women in my society, everyday women trying to make a living.”

“But despite her efforts, it’s sad that we continue to deny her needs like education, the choice to make decisions about herself, like access to finances and things like owning plots of land,” she said. UN News.

“I am a woman and this could easily be me,” she said. “I had the privilege of at least completing my secondary education and that helped me make some important decisions about life and how I wanted to live it. Some women don’t have that choice.”

She said that “the fact that we don’t talk about it enough, or the way we do talk and they continually ignore our voices or silence us, is the reason so many women still no choice or voice when it comes to certain issues. .”

Watch the full video here:

See some other young directors and their videos here:

  • Curiosity of second grade students at CEIP Maestro Camilo Hernández school in Spain (under 12 years old). Clock This.
  • Just talk by Junhyuk “Roy” Ahn from United States (13 to 17 years old). Clock This.
  • Ancient times by Chaela Fuentes Tordillo and Kervin Quieta of the Philippines (special recognition for comprehensive action on climate change and its impact on migration). Clock This.

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