Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—Eighteen Youth Ambassadors for Peace attended a seminar on human rights and peace.
Mr. Wondwossen Hagos, a university lecturer who himself is a UPF Ambassador for Peace, presented the seminar on October 25, 2015, in the UPF offices in Addis Ababa, the national capital.
UPF-Ethiopia Secretary General Simon Amare Tekeba prefaced the seminar with a presentation on “The Ten Commandments of Peacemaking,” which called on the audience to give God the first place in their heart, no matter what their religious background. By living in this way, Mr. Amare Tekeba said, they would be led by their conscience toward higher values and good actions.
The seminar began with the singing of the Ethiopian national anthem, as Ethiopia was observing its national flag day that same week.
Then Mr. Wondwossen introduced himself and the Youth Organization for Human Rights for which he advocates. He also introduced the history and the relation with peacebuilding using the presentation of the Youth Organization for Human Rights.
He desired the presentation to be very interactive, rather than one way only, so that all the participants could discover by themselves whether they were truly well aware of their rights.
Participants were asked questions such as: “What are human rights for you?” “How many human rights do you know?” “When did human rights really start to be considered in Ethiopia?” “How or in which way are human rights taught in Ethiopian schools?”
Many of the young participants were aware of their rights, even if some minor confusion appeared in their minds at times.
Mr. Wondwossen stated that human rights and peace are indivisible. Peace comes when we respect and consider the dignity of everyone with no discrimination at all.
The seminar included the showing of short films about violations of human rights and the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Booklets on human rights were distributed to the participants to deepen their understanding. At the end of the program, the participants were encouraged to write their reflections.
The event concluded with the induction as Ambassadors for Peace of three guests who recently had studied the Principles of Peace: Pastor Tadele Befekaduh; Ms. Bezawit Worku, a lawyer and website development expert; and Mr. Sisay Wogayehu, a private sector employee.
Mr. Wondwossen reminded the new Ambassadors for Peace and all the participants to exemplify the lives of dedicated Ambassadors for Peace. He often says that being an Ambassador for Peace is not due to any past achievement but rather is a commitment to the future.