CHILDREN’S PARLIAMENT OF PEACEFUL JERUSALEM

14.06.2011 12:52

27 August 2007,

Porvoo, Finland

Members of the Children’s Parliament,

I am delighted to be here in Porvoo today to open the first session of the Children’s Parliament of Peaceful Jerusalem.

You delegates are facing a very important and challenging task in drafting an action plan for peace for the people of Palestine and Israel and for the common future of the holy city of Jerusalem.

This gathering of the spirit of youth, the will to make peace and your determination to succeed is extremely encouraging, as, today, many people around the world question the very existence of a peace process. Your peace-building attitude gives us hope because the barriers to peace result from human decisions and actions, not destiny, and they can be overcome by the determined efforts of individuals.

Lasting peace is made not only between governments, but between people and it needs the input and participation of all, young and old. It is therefore extremely important that also you children take part in the process, as it is your future that is on the negotiation table. As you are not bound by the same politico-economic demands and realities as adult decision makers, you have the ability to reach a whole different level of empathy and understanding in your negotiations.

However, for the people of the Middle East to enjoy mutual understanding and respect, you must first of all obtain the facts needed to understand the many issues in this complex conflict. Only through a careful examination of events can we separate truth from disinformation and distortion. We must then approach that truth with the kind of open-mindedness that can only be gained face to face.

Many of the world’s conflicts demonstrate that peace and stability are more likely to be achieved through dialogue than through threats and the use of force.

Communication is the best tool and a pre-condition for conflict-resolution. But meaningful communication does not mean sitting together at the negotiating table with opposing and inflexible demands. It requires listening to everyone’s concerns, and being willing to reach a mutually acceptable compromise. A just peace requires not only will, but also good faith, compromise, and sacrifice.

Your task here in Porvoo is to build an action plan for peace on the principle of justice, ensuring the full human and national rights of all. The peoples of the Middle East should have an equal right to sovereignty, security, stability and progress.

I also hope that your roadmap will transform Jerusalem from a bitter arena of the Arab-Israeli conflict into its rightful role as a symbol of the capacity of people of different races and religions to live together on common ground.

The peace we and you create must be one that you can live with in your own lifetimes, a peace that will also satisfy your children.

I urge you to draw up a roadmap that honours the best that is within us – a plan that is persuasive and acceptable to all concerned as it treats all with equal dignity and validity.

I hereby declare the first session of the Children’s Parliament of Peaceful Jerusalem open.

I wish you all success, wisdom, empathy and perseverance in your important task.