Peace-building in the Pacific

Young people from the Pacific region are meeting this week in Brisbane, Australia, to explore ways of implementing the Commonwealth Respect and Understanding report in their countries and communities.

Commonwealth Heads of Government endorsed the report, ‘Civil Paths to Peace’, when they met a year ago in Kampala, Uganda. It was commissioned as a result of growing concerns over terrorism, violence and the breakdown of social cohesion.

The meeting is an opportunity for youth leaders, human rights activists and youth workers from Australia, Kiribati, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Cook Islands and Niue to discuss the report's content and consider ways it can be used to promote peace in the region.

Organised by the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), the workshop is one of four regional meetings that have taken place during 2008 in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

In his opening address, Professor Kevin Clements, Director for the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, highlighted the importance of human dignity and integrity - the fundamental, intrinsic worth of a person and the wholeness of their physical, mental, aesthetic and spiritual facets. "Conferring dignity on another generates integrity, which in turn will generate more dignity," he said.

The point of the meeting would be to work out how to change attitudes, behaviour and institutions. This included dealing with a painful colonial history, which is essential for progress in the Pacific. Change will only take place when there is a willingness to act and participate in political processes, he added.

Professor Clements stressed that the participation of young people and women needed to be maximised to promote inclusion and cohesion in societies.

The workshop is covering four thematic areas of the report: history, grievance and conflict; political participation; the role of media and communication; and young people and education.

Examples of peace-making initiatives from participants will feed into a collection of 'good practices'. Afu Billy, Regional Director of the CYP South Pacific Centre, said: "Participants are bringing their own, diverse experiences to this meeting - from accounts of traditional peace-making practices in the villages of Vanuatu, to young immigrants struggling to integrate into Australia's large cities. We have a lot to learn from each other."

The goal of the workshop is to create a framework for action, through identifying practical ways to implement the report, including roles for governments, civil society, young people and partners.

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