The Global Peace Initiative of Women

In the first week of March, forty young people from Sudan participated in an unprecedented youth dialogue at the beautiful Laikipia Nature Conservancy and Spiritual Center in Kenya. It was the first time young people between the ages of 21 and 35 from all regions of Sudan met to discuss the situation in their country as major stakeholders. They were joined by an international delegation of mentors, including Dena Merriam, Marianne Marstrand, Teny Pirri Simonian, Venerable Chang Ji and Jackeline Wilson from the US Institute for Peace, as well as members of the Young Leaders Peace Council.

The Sudan Youth Dialogue was the first program of the Young Leaders Peace Council (YLPC), an international network of young leaders committed to peacebuilding and promoting the role of youth in conflict resolution and healing. The Council was launched in October 2006 at the Young Leaders Peace Retreat organized by the Global Peace Initiative of Women prior to the UN Global Youth Leadership Summit in New York. The Council arose from GPIW’s work with the United Nations on a series of youth leadership summits dedicated to mobilizing young people around development and peace.

Surrounded by the natural beauty of Kenya on the edges of the Great Rift Valley, the seven-day meeting was filled with vibrant discussions among the youth about what needed to be done to create a stronger and more peaceful Sudan. For the first time, Sudanese youth from all regions were meeting one another, exchanging experiences and challenges, forming partnerships, and setting the foundation for a way forward for the country. They shared their concerns about the atrocities happening in Darfur as well as the need to address issues of HIV/AIDs, gender, poverty and environment. The outcome of the meeting was the creation of the Sudan Youth Network for Development. As active members of civil society, the Sudan Youth Network for Development would work together to connect other youth and development organizations for the common good and development of their nation. They appointed focal points for each region and agreed upon a mission statement and a set of priorities.

The Dialogue was organized by GPIW with support from the Dharma Drum Buddhist Association, Ruder Finn Foundation, the Gallmann Memorial Foundation, Kalliopeia Foundation and membership support of GPIW. Plans are set for a follow up meeting in Sudan.

The Sudan Youth Dialogue: Mobilizing Young People to Shape their Future