IPOH: Global peace can only be achieved through collective efforts and cooperation from all quarters, Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said.
“As we pursue our collective goal of global peace, we must keep these two principles always in mind, seeking not only to eradicate conflict, but also to establish a more trusting and inclusive world community, in which each and every individual is valued and respected.
“Moreover, I would like to suggest that amanah (trust), and ta‘ayush (inclusivity), as well as being the ultimate goals of global peace, are also the means by which peace might be achieved.
“A recent report by the United States Institute of Peace observed that ‘inclusive peace processes are key to ending violent conflict’. Peace processes, the report observes, can be critically undermined by societal fragmentation, and the perceived or actual exclusion of certain groups from peace negotiations.
“On the other hand, a seemingly precarious peace agreement may be fundamentally strengthened by attempts to “knit together” the “frayed fabric” of a society damaged by internal or external conflict,” he said in his keynote address at the World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilisation.
Citing Nepal, he said a peace agreement which ended a ten-year civil war in 2006 was secured through a programme which brought together the police and local communities, in order to establish trust, and to overcome underlying tensions and prejudices between the different groups.
He said while the 2017 Global Peace Index registered a small improvement over the previous year, he said the report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, showed an overall downward trend and that the world is less peaceful now than it was 10 years ago.
“Terrorism represents a substantial and intensifying threat to international harmony, spreading fear and mistrust, and inflicting needless suffering on communities and individuals. According to the Global Peace Index report for 2017, there has been a 247 per cent increase in the number of deaths caused by terrorism over the past decade, and there are no signs that the problem is diminishing,” he said.
Sultan Nazrin also reiterated his stand on the importance of investing on youth, whom he said would one day “become the stewards of our planet”.
“The task of maintaining peace falls, ultimately, to the young, and therefore the young must be included in the process of establishing peace.
“In the case following the Nepalese civil war, the active engagement of young people in peace consultations, in the south-eastern district of the country, led to an 80 per cent decrease in violent youth demonstrations.
“This is just one small but significant example of the hugely positive impact of inclusivity upon the maintenance of peace. All peace processes would, I think, do well to follow such models, ensuring that no voices are marginalised in the gradual movement towards a more harmonious, tolerant and conflict-free society,” he said.
Meanwhile, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said Perak would spearhead the establishment of a global peace and anti-violence centre, following a resolution brought forward at the conference.
"We plan to make Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS) to be the operational centre for the proposed institute.
"We will also suggest that the former ASEAN secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Suri Pitsuwan is made the centre's first chairman," he said in a Press conference later.