Celebration of International Youth Day

Accra, 16 Aug, GNA - The Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), has called on Government to adopt appropriate policy to prevent the youth from engaging in conflict, as the world celebrates the International Youth Day.

This year's Day, which would be celebrated on the theme: "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding, aims at sensitizing policy makers and the public on factors that accounts for youth participation in conflicts, resulting to under-development in communities.

A release signed by Mr Issah Ali, Executive Director of VALD, said that most conflicts could have been prevented if dialogue had played a key role in dispute resolution.

It asked government to establish a Youth Desk at the Secretariat of the National Peace Council or Peace Desk at the office of the National Youth Council to ensure peace toward sustaining Ghana's democracy.

The statement said such desk should be empowered to educate the youth on the significance of peace and build their capacity to help them to use dialogue in conflict prevention and settlement.

It said "VALD commends the work of the United Nations of Alliance of Civilization in the promotion of dialogue, tolerance, co-existence and respect for cultural diversity and human rights."

The statement expressed the hope that establishment of the Global Youth Movement for Alliance of Civilization by the UN forC0 would contribute in building of mutual understanding, respect and serve as a forum for dialogue among youth of different cultural background.