Wednesday 15th June, 2011

Tammy Kingi-Falakoa from New Zealand has been selected as one of the twenty youth delegates for the 2011 Wansolwara Youth Peace-building Training Programme.

Tammy is currently pursuing a double major in Linguistics and Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland, she is the President of the Auckland University Pacific island Students’ Association and the President of the Niue Students Association.

This month from June 20 – 23 twenty young people aged between 18 and 25 from around the Pacific region will gather in Auckland, New Zealand for an interactive four day programme focussing on regional solidarity, peace building and conflict resolution. New Zealand, a foundation member of the Commonwealth of Nations, will be an ideal setting for an initiative that propagates the potential of young people to be agents of peace-builders and developmental change. It ranks at number one on both the Global Transparency Index (perception of corruption), the Global Peace Index and number five on the International Democracy Index (the only Pacific country in the top five).

Tammy says: ““This peace-building fono is important because it provides a forum for youth to discuss possible ways of peace-building that is unique or specific to each nation’s situation. I hope to learn how best to serve my community in New Zealand, the Pacific region and also the globe, as the youth and next generation coming through for peace-building issues of our future.”

"The standard of applications received this year has been outstanding. The knowledge, experience and perspective that this group of participants bring to the programme will, I am sure, empower young people across the region to promote peace within their own communities,'' said Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Pacific Centre Programme Manager Mr. Paul Peteru.

This peace-building initiative has been developed by young people who represented the region at the Nkabom Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme in 2010 in Rwanda, Africa. The Nkabom Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme is one of the Royal Commonwealth Society’s flagship youth projects. Nkabom (pronounced ink-a-bom) means ‘coming together’ in parts of Ghana, and develops a youth-led network of young leaders who pioneer peace building initiatives in their communities, countries and beyond.

The conference is supported and funded by the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

*Note that ‘Wansolwara’ is a pidgin word meaning ‘one ocean-one people’.

ENDS

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