Salam: Peace powered by global youth

SALAM: A NEW PEACEMAKING NETWORK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Our words and deeds hold the power to build or break peace every day, and this means the next generation can also weave a new narrative and make an impact on their surroundings. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland is creating a communication project for peace and reconciliation in Iraq and Afghanistan. The project will focus on young people, and since children and young people make up a significant share of the population in both countries, it is logically fundamental that their young people take part in building society.

Launched in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2019, the project aims to form a group of young peace ambassadors through which communications will be disseminated to their local community and surroundings. The project offers young people an opportunity to meet like-minded people, gain knowledge and expand their skills in the field of media and peacemaking. Working together with network professionals, volunteers learn negotiating skills, ways they can impact their communities, and methods to use in handling conflict situations.

As part of the wider migration movement communications by the Ministry, the communication project for peace and reconciliation in Iraq and Afghanistan will focus on influencing the root causes behind irregular migration movements that violate the law, such as the exclusion of young people, hate speech, violent radicalisation and terrorism. Måndag was selected to implement the communication project for 2019–2023.