KABUL - Afghan youth will act as “Ambassadors of Peace” and take the message of peace, brotherhood, unity and friendship to every nook and corner of Afghanistan.

The title of “Ambassadors of Peace” was honoured to the participants at the end of Afghanistan’s National Peace Jirga of Afghan Youth held in Kabul, 2-4 July, in which about 1,450 youth belonging to 106 youth organizations from across the country participated.

Besides the Chairperson of the High Peace Council, Salahuddin Rabbani, and the leader of a political coalition of “Hope and Change”, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, 150 guests from Government institutions, parliament, political parties and Afghan civil society also attended the 3-day Jirga.

“The Jirga is aimed at creating a coordinated mechanism for a nationwide movement of youth to share their views on peace and play their crucial part for stability in Afghanistan,” said Sayed Noorul Haq Haideryar, the Jirga spokesperson.

Afghanistan’s youth below 25 years of age make up about 70 per cent of the country’s over 30 million people, according to some estimates.

The participants of the Jirga were divided in 20 working committees that discussed peace and reconciliation as the main agenda item while pros and cons of proposed permanent military bases of American forces in Afghanistan, corruption, unemployment and lack of quality higher education, among other issues, were featured in their deliberations.

In the first day of Jirga, the youths also elected a steering committee, which along with the chairpersons of the working committees, has finalized the Jirga declaration that will be presented to the President Hamid Karzai tomorrow.

“I am happy to be a part of this Jirga and appeal to my fellow youth to respect their title of ‘Ambassadors of Peace’ and convey the message of peace village-to-village in Afghanistan,” said Sayed Mohammad Ahsani, one of the participants.

The Chairman of High Peace Council, Salahuddin Rabbani, in his inaugural speech on the first day of the Jirga, called on the youth to take the lead to mobilize the Afghan people in pursuit of justified peace in Afghanistan and keep the “enemies of peace” from recruiting youths to fulfill their evil objectives.

The participants of Jirga made an appeal for organizing further Jirgas at different regions of Afghanistan so that their movement would become a consistent struggle for peace nationwide.

“The views of youth are very important because they form the majority of Afghan population and Afghan government must take its decisions considering the perspective of youths on all key issues,” said Khatira Asadi, a female participant.

By UNAMA Kabul