Charter for Peace

DECLARATION TO PROMOTE HARMONY AND PREVENT CONFLICT

By The ACWAY Youth | 30th November 2016

WE DECLARE TO OUR FELLOW YOUNG PEERS AND ALL THOSE WORKING IN THE FIELD OF INTERRELIGIOUS AND INTERCULTURAL PEACEBUILDING THAT,

INTRODUCTION

Inspired by the universal aspiration for peace and freedom, and

Guided by the desire to contribute to sustainable world peace, willing to actively engage and change our society by advocating for intercultural and interfaith dialogue, we, the Youth Peace Ambassadors of ACWAY from all around the world, develop and adopt this Charter:

PLEDGES AND ASPIRATIONS

We pledge to combat prejudices and misconceptions that may arise or have arisen within our communities in relation to intercultural and interfaith communication;

We pledge to work for better education and awareness on interfaith and intercultural coexistence, collaboration and diversity;

We pledge to be responsible leaders within our respective communities, working towards inspiring other youth and encourage more members to join the ACWAY cause; and

We pledge to use all forms of social media and communication in order to convey our message of peace and coexistence.

RECOMMENDATIONS

We ACWAY ambassadors:

GENERAL

  1. Adopt the Amman Youth Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security as declared on 22 August 2015 by the United Nations;
  2. Call States to develop and ensure opportunities for interfaith dialogue and understanding within the State, by supporting or establishing interfaith councils that will include representatives of faith and non-faith communities;
  3. Recommend State and non State actors to promote intercultural and interfaith youth projects and exchange programs within States and the international community in order to shed light on the understanding of different faiths and beliefs;
  4. Recommend all forms of media to highlight positive interfaith programs so as to advocate productive intercultural dialogue amongst people of different faiths; and
  5. Recommend religious preachers, scholars of religion and representatives of holy places of worship to call for RESPECT of other religions and faiths.

Furthermore, we:

IDENTITY & RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS

  1. Urge all States to acknowledge and respect the beliefs and traditions of all, including the minority and indigenous communities present in any society;
  2. Urge all States to commit to the protection of identity & religious practice and prevention of forced religious conversions;

NON-DISCRIMINATION

  1. Committ to, at all times, stand up against discrimination on the basis of race, disability, age, religion, gender, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation;
  2. Appeal to the educational institutions to organize activities that stimulate and instill the seeds of interfaith and intercultural harmony in young minds and empower them to take an active stand against all forms of discrimination;
  3. To ensure a just representation of marginalised groups within organizations, dialogue and peacebuilding operations;

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

  1. Appeal to the religious leaders of the world to promote and encourage active citizenship in matters regarding sustainable development and social justice; and
  2. Call for all people of any faith and cultural background to participate actively and contribute significantly to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

CONCLUSION

We, the participants of ACWAY, as individuals, sincerely commit to the values and the
articles of this Charter and appeal to the youth across the world to join us in our efforts to
prevent conflict and promote global harmony.
ACWAY motto: GLOBAL COLLABORATION FOR LOCAL ACTION