An international group formed under a United Nations Security Council resolution has been established to preach peace and create awareness against violence on earth…
And Godfrey Mahloko will lead the South African branch.
An advert was placed on the internet, about a month ago, for anyone to apply and the 32-year-old Mahloko was one of those short-listed worldwide to lead the group.
Mahloko had a year-long stint with the Economic Freedom Fighters led by Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema in South Africa and did administration in Secretary General Godrich Gardee’s office, as the party’s membership officer.
At a meeting in New York on 9 December 2015, a resolution to get young people to participate in decision-making at all levels was taken by the United Nation Security Council in order to combat conflicts in our society.
The council’s resolution was a response to the threat posed to stability and development “by the rise of radicalisation among young people”.
It urged all countries who are members of the United Nations to “consider ways to give youth a greater voice in decision-making at the local, national and international level.”
“Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 2250, the council also urged member states to consider setting up mechanisms that would enable young people to participate meaningfully in peace processes and dispute resolution,” the council said on 9 December last year.
This week Mahloka told 013NEWS that the group was formed 5 days ago – on 21 September 2016 – in all Commonwealth countries around the world.
“On 21 September is World Peace Day and that’s when the organisation was launched internationally, but ourselves here in South Africa we decided we will do the formal launch in October and we asked for time to prepare,” he said.
He said they were now busy recruiting young people to come join and form part of provincial and national structures.
“We are now on the phase where we formalising the programs as well as dates of launch. In South Africa, the issues differ from those of other countries. For example, others are affected by terrorism, but here in South Africa we have our own issues where youths are needed to take part and address.
For example, domestic violence, we read everyday in the news about lovers who decide to end each other’s life, there’s also bullying at schools, gang violence like the one that was
dominating news in Western Cape, cultural, political intolerance, as we saw in the build up to the local government elections people being killed, like in KZN and also the issue of xenophobic and racist attacks.
So we preach peace and create awareness in our society but also we acknowledge that there can never be peace without justice, so we preach justice as well. But at the current moment we are busy mobilising,” he said.
Mahloka has a diploma in Youth Development and a degree in Development Studies and is studying further at the University of South Africa.
Anyone interested should visit them on their Facebook page – www.facebook.com/cypannetwork
(edited by ZK)
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