Seeds of Peace

We, young people from different regions of conflict around the world, have seen how government plays a role in contributing to pain and grief in conflict. We have experienced intolerance leading to terror and destruction in our own homes, and more and more people are suffering every day in many other parts of the world. We outlined four crucial areas which tend to be problematic in governmental structure: representation, human rights, freedom of expression and education. We determined that improvement in these areas is necessary to combat the cycles of violence and hatred so prevalent today. We believe that these ills can be remedied because we ourselves have confronted the issues and the roots of terror, confronted our prejudices and struggled to let go of them, and we know that peace is possible. Representation: Every individual has a right to be represented in the government through a fair elective system. Representation is the path to fulfill the people's personal and collective needs. If a government lacks the following, then this central function is lost, thus leading to frustration and anger which are likely to build up and erupt into violence:

• Integrity
• The ability to eliminate corruption
• Representatives who are qualified by having knowledge of governmental systems, an understanding of the people's needs, the ability to listen and translate ideas into actions and awareness of the changing needs of the people
• Accountability - reciprocal, continuous communication through different mediums. A structure that attempts to allow all people to be represented fairly and proportionally

Human Rights: Violation of human rights by the government leads to violence. Human rights include: the right to existence, the right to safety, the right to free expression, the right to pursue most fulfilling lifestyle possible. These rights must be granted as a whole, one is not more important than the other and one person's rights cannot be sacrificed for the sake of another's. Human rights are the basic and essential needs of people and define one's social identity. A main responsibility of a government is to secure the fulfillment of its citizens' human rights. Violation of human rights can take the form of active abuse or passive indifference. Active abuse is a situation where a government treats a certain sector of society as subhuman or inferior through different applications of the law, through the direct constitution of a discriminatory law, or through state-sponsored violence and denial of necessities. Passive indifference is a situation where a government does not address the well-being of the people or disregards the calls of the people for reform in their treatment. Infringement of human rights provokes anger and frustration. In the absence of necessities basic to survival, individuals or groups would resort to all means in order to reach these necessities. In this case, violence may be directed towards the government- the source of the problem- or external entities. Furthermore, if people are not aware of the source of the problems, denial of their human rights will result in blind aggression. Freedom of Expression: Freedom of expression is the right of all individuals to express them-selves about anything. There should be no limit to this expression as long as it does not violate human rights, public safety or laws created in accordance with these principles. The restriction of this freedom may eventually lead to violence. For instance, if the government does not allow individuals to practice religion, to criticize the government, to protest, to use the media or the arts, then people will feel that their individuality is not respected and their pride hurt. This will cause great frustration in people. The feeling of frustration will increase as freedom of expression continues to be denied and, naturally, people will express this feeling. It will most likely, for lack of other options, be channeled to violent actions. Education: A government has the power to shape the mindset and educational environment of its society. The government wields this power in the forms of formal education in schools, the circulation of propaganda, and the restriction of access to information. Through these means, a government is capable of generating and galvanizing intolerance, hatred and prejudice. A government's interest in promoting these sentiments can be the creation of unity and national identity, the achievement of specific political goals, or the channeling of frustration away from the government. In educational systems regulated by the government, if materials are not continuously debated and modified, then the information cannot stand as a viable resource but as dogma. Mass media can be used by government with blatant or subtle messages. The restriction of access to information creates levels of ignorance, which can lead to hatred and prejudice. When people are not taught to think for themselves or given and alternative to commonly accepted perspectives the cycle of violence is immensely difficult to break. Statement of the Committee on Declaration of Principles Statement of the Committee on Media Statement of the Committee on Education Statement of the Committee on Religion Statement of the Committee on Economic Disparity Statement of the Committee on Safety and Security Statement of the Committee on Popular Culture To return to the Main Conference page, please click here.