WFWP Youth Peace Conference - Palestine & Israel Peace Accord

Written by: Srruthi Lehka

“Young people – with their dynamism, their energy and their inherent understanding of our interconnected world – have much to teach us. Increased educational attainment, advances in technology and the spread of information have made this generation the best educated, most connected and most informed in history.”

-Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General (1997 - 2006)

On April 11-12, 2021, the WFWPI UN offices in Geneva and Vienna with WFWP Middle East jointly organized the “WFWP Youth Peace Conference - Palestine & Israel Peace Accord” with various special sessions taking place earlier in the month. Prior to the conference, WFWP held a number of training programs with UN Peacekeeping officials, Government representatives from Israel and Palestine and other civil society leaders, who instructed the delegates and participants on the key issues of concern, diplomacy, peacebuilding measures and more.

The first of these special sessions was hosted on March 12, 2021, on the topic “Peacebuilding and the role of foreign policy” with civil society experts and the representatives of WFWPI. A short film on the model of security dilemma was screened for the participants. This was followed by a fruitful discussion on the role of foreign policy and the obstacles to peacebuilding due to the security dilemma.

The second special session was held on March 26, 2021, on the topic “Peacekeeping and peace meditation,” for which Mrs. Svejtlana Jovic, Team Leader, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon SW Civil Affairs was the speaker. She conducted a very informative seminar on peacekeeping, the UN Peacekeeping force and their process, role in the region, and strategies of peace mediation. This provided the participants with the knowledge and perspective of a peacekeeper, which would help in their negotiations towards a peace agreement transcending political perspectives.

The final special session was held on April 2, 2021, on the topic “The role of youth in peacekeeping and governance.” Speakers included Mr. Orima Malkin, Ministry of youth affairs, Israel and Mrs. Samia Elwazer, Member at General Union of Palestinian Women. This was one of the most powerful sessions, during which the need for friendly communication between both sides was highlighted. The speakers met in advance to greet and share perspectives with each other to reach a common ground while addressing the participants. During the session, they shared their personal stories and related their experiences to the course of the conflict’s history. Their efforts were well received by the participants, who were motivated to apply the practice of listening and sharing in their own negotiations during the Youth Peace Conference.

The Youth Peace Conference simulated a UN Peacebuilding Commission with delegates from Palestine, Israel and other countries participating. This conference began with an opening ceremony on April 11, with speakers from Israel’s Ministry of Youth Affairs, representatives from Palestine, academicians from Cyprus and WFWPI leadership, Mrs. Julia Moon, President of WFWPI. Following the opening ceremony, the delegates engaged in heated negotiations on the issue of Palestine and Israel. Topics addressed included the role of history, land, religion, identity and political affairs in the region.

The Chair and the Vice-Chair of the conference mediated effective strategies and developed very well-defined rules of procedure in prioritizing the sub agendas in discussion for the peace agreement. After two days of debates, the delegates reached a peace agreement, which had clearly established a successful peace process for the issue. The agreement also had agreed conclusions resolving the issues of land, nationality, identity, sovereignty, trade, economy and other social affairs. The peace agreement was adopted in the closing ceremony, followed by a feedback session with the participants and the audience, who observed the debate throughout the conference. The exchange of emotions, gratitude and mutual appreciation brought the conference to a very satisfied and hopeful end.

Our experts from the ministries of the governments of Israel and Palestine as well as from the UN warmly welcomed the efforts and success of the WFWP Youth Peace Conference. WFWP was honored to have facilitated an event that equipped young adults with the power of diplomacy and peace mediation and hopes to further develop these efforts in the future.

The full WFWP Youth Peace Conference: Palestine & Israel Peace Accord 2021 Executive Report can be viewed here