12 November 2001

Youth Delegates at UN Work to Uproot Hatred and Terror

United Nations -- While world leaders gathered November 11 at the 56th General Assembly of the United Nations, 100 youth delegates hailing from the Middle East, South Asia the Balkans and other regions met nearby to discuss what steps they can take in their own countries to combat violence.

The delegates, aged 16 to 18, are graduates of the Seeds of Peace program, which each summer brings together young people from regions of conflict to a camp in Maine where they can get to know one another and talk about issues at the heart of conflict. At the end of the International Youth Conference Uprooting Hatred and Terror November 11-15, the youngsters will present to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan a charter for peace.

The conference opened at the United Nations Chapel with a ceremony conducted by a minister, a rabbi, an imam and a Hindu practitioner. Queen Noor al-Hussein of Jordan as well as relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks addressed the youth, encouraging them to bring the message of peace back to their countries.

"We need you, Seeds of Peace, because you know how to move beyond conflict and loss," Queen Noor said. "We need your experience, because you have seen this before. You have seen the terror and destruction that hatred can cause."

Young people need a voice, the queen said, because more than one-fourth of the world's population is just entering adulthood, with the overwhelming majority of this group living in developing countries. One-fifth of the U.S. population is under 15, while in Palestinian territories this figure is nearly one-half the population. "We need you to participate, to fight, to push for the future," the queen said.

Lauren Rosenzweig, whose husband was on the American Airlines flight 11 flown into the World Trade Center, and Connie Taylor, whose son was working in the North Tower on the morning of September 11, urged the delegates to continue their work for peace.

"We must seek first to understand, and what has come out of the World Trade Center disaster is that we really don't understand," Rosenzweig said. "Every time I hear one of you campers keep your commitment to peace, I am encouraged. There will always be those out there who want to ruin peace, but the more of us there are, the harder this will be. Keep up your work; do not be discouraged. You are our hope."

The delegations participating in the conference include Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Moroccans, Tunisians, Qataris, Indians, Pakistanis, Bosnians (Moslems, Croats and Serbs), Yugoslavs, Macedonians, Albanians, Croats, Kosovars (Albanians and Serbs), Cypriots and Americans.