In the end of October 2022, the German development agency GIZ organized a conference on “Youth and Peace“ at the King Hussein bin Talal Convention Centre (Hilton) at the Dead Sea. The conference brought together people working with youth from eleven different countries such as Nepal, Cambodia, Philippines, Ukraine, Palestine, and Lebanon. Everyone was emphasizing the pressing need to include youth in decision making to guarantee a sustainable, and prosperous future.
GIZ also invited other international agencies that implement projects of the Civil Peace Service, such as ForumZFD and AGIAMONDO.
As a key partner and important organisation in youth-related questions, URI MENA was also represented at this conference. A market place booth had been a great occasion for networking and organisation presentations. Each Jordanian and international partner organisation introduced their aims and work in a visual way. It was an inspiring session with a variety of stands showed multiple approaches of empowering youth to participate in peacebuilding. For example, a Palestinian organisation trains children in photography and encourages them to take photos of their local communities. A powerful exhibition resulted from this portraying the diverse Palestinian lifestyles and communities from the children’s perspectives. In another session, Jordanian youth activists came together in a panel, discussing the various challenges young people and especially women face in Jordan. Overall, it was an enriching conference connecting peacebuilding actors from around the world. The URI MENA team gained new insights and learned new methods in youth work during their participations in different workshop sessions and connected with people interested in our interfaith network from the Philippines and Cambodia.
