ARKADAG, Turkmenistan

On 2 October, 2023, UNRCCA took part as a partner in the Dialogue - Guarantee of Peace International Youth Forum organized by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Central Council of the Youth Organization of Turkmenistan named after Magtymguly in the city of Arkadag, Turkmenistan. The purpose of the Forum was to promote peaceful dialogue as the most important means of resolving conflicts and overcoming differences between young people around the world.

SRSG Kaha Imnadze, speaking at the official opening ceremony of the Youth Forum, noted that the International Year of Dialogue, declared by the UN General Assembly as a Guarantee of Peace, was initiated by Turkmenistan and was supported by all states of the Central Asian region in General Assembly Resolution 77/32, became an essential step towards strengthening a culture of peace and trust in international relations. 

The Forum featured four thematic sessions discussing the successful youth projects and initiatives promoting peace and social cohesion, the relationship between environmental sustainability and peacebuilding, the practice of technology and social media for positive peace efforts, and the linking of youth voices in Central Asia through culture and art.

Participants of the UNRCCA Preventive Diplomacy Academy (PDA) and members of the regional PDA Alumni network from Turkmenistan took an active part in the Forum, which allowed young people from Central Asia to gather and discuss their ideas for strengthening peace and security in the region through active participation in the public life of their countries.

In his final speech during the Foundation Meeting of the Dialogue of Youth of the Countries of Central Asia, SRSG Kaha Imnadze noted: "...young representatives of Central Asia - participants of the Youth Forum received positive experience that will help to unite the efforts of young people in the region in promoting common interests in the international arena and, first of all, within the United Nations."

The Dialogue - Guarantee of Peace International Youth Forum concluded with the signing of the Central Asian Youth Dialogue Memorandum by representatives of Central Asian government agencies working with youth. The purpose of signing this Memorandum is to deepen understanding of the importance of dialogue in preventing and resolving conflicts, to strengthen intercultural ties and to increase tolerance for different points of view, and select youth projects and initiatives in the field of peacebuilding developed during the Forum and the creation of a network of young leaders advocating dialogue as the most crucial element for the culture of peace.