DAR ES SALAAM: THE United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Zlatan Milisic has urged youths to understand the importance of preserving peace and respecting the right to life and humanity.
Mr Milisic stated this recently at UN Offices in Dar es Salaam in commemoration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day that is marked every January 27.
Mr Milisic told youths that their role is to understand and shape society in a modern way.
He added: “You are not just leaders of tomorrow but agents of change today, so you should make sure you bring change to your communities,”
“Almost 50 per cent of all Tanzanians are under 18 years and 62 per cent are under 25. Through our engagement with young people in Tanzania, we know that you are determined, resourceful and engaged in your communities.”
“As young people, you represent hope and the promise of a better future,” he said.
On the other hand, Mr Milisic presented UN General Secretary António Guterres’s message to the youth, where he insisted that they must never be silent in the face of discrimination, and never tolerant of intolerance.
It further read: “Let us speak out for human rights and the dignity of all. Let us never lose sight of each other’s humanity and never let down our guard,”
German Ambassador to Tanzania Thomas Terstegen on his part insisted that history is something that cannot be abstained, as they commemorate Holocaust, youths need to understand what happened before and how they can desist such conflicts in today’s society.
“Today’s generation needs to understand how to abstain from domestic violence in our societies and it’s a long process,” he said.
Rosa Syprian from Mugabe Secondary School as one of students who participated in a commemoration of the international day for Holocaust at UN offices said she learnt that they (youths) are not supposed to build hatred; instead, they need to spread love and oppose discrimination.
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.