UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation Forest Whitaker led an assessment mission in Myanmar from 26 to 31 May to create a new branch of the Youth Peacemaker Network, a joint peace building initiative of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), UNESCO and Ericsson. After consultations with his partners, Mr. Whitaker decided to initiate a new hub of his groundbreaking youth peace network already established in South Sudan, Uganda and Mexico. With its unique combination of training in peace education, intercultural dialogue, conflict resolution, life skills, entrepreneurship and ICTs, this program could significantly benefit the youth and communities of Myanmar, a country which has been affected over the past decade by internecine conflicts with religious and ethnic ramifications. The young women and men of Myanmar are longing to overcome traditional hurdles fully to deploy their potential as key stakeholders not only in the future but also in the very present. Such situations have been on Mr Whitaker's agenda for a number of years now in such places as Uganda, South Sudan and Mexico, where he and his foundation jointly with UNESCO and Ericsson work tirelessly to empower young people as leaders of peace and development in their communities.
To achieve best possible results on the ground, Forest Whitaker conducted the needs assessment mission in order to identify issues and challenges faced by youth as well as opportunities to mobilize them as agents of peace and development. Throughout this mission, he and his team met with youth organizations, governments officials, UN representatives, civil society organizations, private sector partners as well as local community members. Among others, he met with the Minister of Education and the Minister of the President's Office as well as representatives from international NGOs (IRC) and the private sector, including Ericsson. He also met with Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss how best to promote peace and reconciliation in Myanmar and the importance of youth empowerment. The mission was also an opportunity to visit a joint UNESCO PepsiCo project–the Centre of Excellence for Business Skills Development–where Mr. Whitaker exchanged with the students and faculty on promoting social good and the aspirations of youth through business and entrepreneurship. Another high point of the mission consisted of a community dialogue with representatives of diverse ethnic groups in which Mr. Whitaker participated at the Center for Diversity and National Harmony. Forest Whitaker's perspectives on how to develop the Youth Peacemaker Network in Myanmar were also particularly enriched by his visit of a UNESCO–Ericsson project combining ICT and life skills in Mandalay schools and a debate at the Jefferson Centre with young leaders on intercultural dialogue and tolerance. Thanks to the experience and expertise gained from this assessment mission, the youth peacemaker network program will be tailored to the concrete situations and aspirations of young women and men in Myanmar. (Photos by ©UNESCO/Sardar Umar Alam)