Agree to Differ

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Image: Min. of Edu., KSA

High-level guests attended the conference panel on volunteerism, the culture of peace and sustainable development

are not the subjects of change – you are its greatest leaders,

with the greatest ideas. You are not the beneficiaries of support

– you are our full partners in making change happen for the

benefit of all.”

Eminent personalities and high-level experts subsequently

took the floor and addressed volunteering and dialogue from

many different perspectives. Among the personalities were

Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director-General of the Islamic

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO);

Abdullah Hamed Mohareb, Director-General of the Arab

League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization

(ALECSO); Hans d’Orville, Assistant Director-General, Bureau

of Strategic Planning, UNESCO; Ahmad Alhendawi, United

Nations Envoy for youth; John Geoghegan, Secretary-General

of the World Scout Foundation; and Kazumi Ikeda-Larhed,

Chief of Partnerships and Communications Division, United

Nations Volunteers.

The first workshop conducted by the youth participants,

‘Youth Volunteering and the Promotion of a Culture of

Dialogue’, brought different approaches to volunteering to

the forefront in an open dialogue between its practitioners.

Dialogue begins within the family, community and country.

Dialogue among governments, corporate leaders, civil society

organizations and the public, with the active participation of

youth, can help promote good governance and accountability,

and it can foster transformative approaches and processes.

The guiding questions were: In an era of instant connectivity,

how can communication provide ideas and support for youth

volunteer work all over the world?What would be the features of

an inclusive ‘culture of dialogue’ in the domain of volunteering?

The second workshop, ‘Youth Volunteering, Peace-Building

and Humanitarian Assistance’, focused on one of the most well-

known and visible faces of youth volunteering: humanitarian

aid. Volunteers all over the world have a potentially important

role to play in disaster risk management as well as in post-

conflict situations, but there are special challenges for young

volunteers. The participants in this workshop discussed, among

other things, how local communities can play a role in the

adaptation and mitigation of natural disasters, when assisted

and guided by well-informed, trained volunteers.

Guiding questions were: What are the most important

obstacles to effective volunteering in the area of humanitar-

ian assistance? What tools, skills and training are needed?

In the third workshop, ‘Volunteering, the Culture of

Peace and Sustainable Development’, the young partici-

pants looked at the promotion of a culture of peace and

non-violence, which is at the core of UNESCO’s mission.

Because of the link between violence, poverty and low

achievement of development objectives, sustainable devel-

opment must be both inclusive and people-centred, at once

benefiting and involving everyone. Devising an intergen-

erational pact, supporting gender equality and women’s

gree

iffer