New Nigerian NewsPapers – 14 August 2021 – By Isaac Odeh, Kaduna
“Transforming Food Systems; Youths Innovation For Human and Planetary Health”, is this year’s theme for International Youth Day, with a renewed call for meaningful participation of young people to improve global wellbeing.
The global event followed the need to strive towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs-2030) that include: poverty reduction, social inclusion, healthcare, and climate change, as well as ensuring youth inclusion being a panacea for restoring the planetary wellbeing and food chain via bio-diversity.
It is against this backdrop that a Jordan-based Non-governmental Organization (NGO), Generations For Peace (GFP) embarked on a one-day Peace Advocacy Initiative; fostering cooperation and taking responsibility at Television Community, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
A Nigerian delegate to the award-winning and Global Peace Building Organization, Mr. Jamilu Dan-Mutum said that the one-day event was aimed at strengthening youth capacity to actively participate in peacebuilding alongside other productive activities within their communities towards creating enabling environment for growth and development.
The GFP Delegate who described youths as development partners stressed the need for them to channel their energy and creativity toward preferring innovative solutions to the myriads of challenges bedeviling the nation such as insecurity, poverty, food scarcity, and COVID-19 Pandemic among others.
Jamilu said in view of this year’s theme for international youth day, it was pertinent for them to actively engage and give ideas on how to improve the agricultural sector towards achieving maximum productivity, enhanced human wellbeing, and sustainable development.
He urged the participants that comprised youth from ten communities cut across different religious and ethnic extractions to continue to advocate and champion peacebuilding initiatives in their various communities with a view to promoting ethnoreligious respect and tolerance which would, in turn, pave the way for growth and development.
“Today we converged here to discuss how insecurity is affecting our food systems which ultimately will lead to some forms of conflict and crisis within our communities in the various food chain Process”, “Our food systems have been interrupted due to Insecurity as farmers are unable to go to the farm to produce food for the population”, “The program brought together youths from different communities to proffer innovative solution in which the country can build and sustain the food systems that can be resilient, and withstand the COVID-19 Pandemic”, he explained.
The peace ambassador and youth champion posited that youths are the greatest asset of every nation whose fresh ideas and strategy could bring to the table a framework for peace, harmonious living, and a society that is safe for her citizens.
On his part, Mr. Michael Gaude, a sixth Generation Delegate to the Organization said at the peace advocacy initiative that the group had brainstormed on issues regarding food scarcity, insecurity, and COVID-19 with modalities put in place to improving and safeguarding their communities, being part of an effort to complement government effort in improving peace and security.
An other participant at the event, Ms. Mary Dangi pointed out that the issue of insecurity was a duty for all, saying as communities rely on traditional and religious leaders, government, and other relevant stakeholders for solutions, it is expected that citizens should also rise to the occasion, and begin to think inward toward having positive and a sane society.
She stressed that the youth who are the future of the country must be concerted in their effort by living, campaigning, and cascading peace and the need for harmonious living regardless of tribe or religion which would create an enabling environment for socio-economic and political progress.
