STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — (Marketwire) — 12/13/12 —
Youth peacemaker network to harness technology to promote peace-
building
capacities among South Sudanese youth with the support of Ericsson, and
Zain
Forest Whitaker, Oscar-winning actor, humanist and Goodwill Ambassador of
the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
announced today the PeaceEarth Foundation will launch the Youth Peacemaker
Network in South Sudan in cooperation with UNESCO Juba, the Ministry of
Culture,
Youth and Sport of South Sudan, Zain and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC).
The Youth Peacemaker Network will nurture a new generation of leaders
committed
to reconciliation and conflict prevention. Participating youth from
South
Sudan-s 10 States will be trained by local and international experts in
conflict
resolution, leadership, peace and community building as well as
mediation
skills. These youth will forge peaceful, non-violent relationships with
their
peers as they work together with their communities, engage with youth
nation-
wide, receive mentoring and training in business skills to promote
attractive
learning and skills-based opportunities.
“Reconciliation is a slow process, and it often takes as much time to get
out of
a conflict as it took to get in one,” said Forest Whitaker. “That-s why it
is so
important to work with youth to promote the significance of education,
personal
empowerment and leadership to build peaceful conflict resolution skills and
techniques.”
With 72 percent of the South Sudanese population under the age of 30, a
peaceful
future for the country is in the hands of the young. “Peace is an
enabling
factor for the development and prosperity of South Sudan and to the
building of
a national identity, said Mr. Salah Khaled, UNESCO Juba-s Head of Office.
“It is
essential to empower young people and train them with the skills they need
to be
tomorrow-s leaders.”
The program will use the field expertise of its key partners. UNESCO Juba
will
facilitate the secure access of youth living in remote areas. Ericsson will
provide mobile broadband connectivity, computers, and mobile phones from
Sony
Mobile, alongside basic ICT and social media training and tools for
connecting
teachers and students through the global education initiative Connect To
Learn.
Ericsson will provide on-site project management resources, Wi-Fi coverage,
and
the Ericsson cloud computing solution to support the program.
In support of its belief that mobile connectivity is a tool of empowerment
to
build peace and a positive agent of change, Zain will provide internet
access
via 35 mobile broadband dongles with capacity of 1GB per month, as well as
mobile phone SIM cards for program participants.
PeaceEarth and UNESCO Juba are working together with South Sudan-s
Ministry of
Youth, Culture and Sport as well as State-level ministries and Youth
Unions to
establish computer centers in the State Capitals. These centres will
help
participants from the Youth Peacemaker Network to share their
experiences and
access additional trainings through the online platform .
Zain
will also support additional cooperation with governmental agencies to
support
and develop Sudanese youth.
Mr. Cirino Hiteng Ofuho, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, said
about
the project, “The fact that young people will have a place to learn and
practice
computer skills and communicate with youth from different States and
counties,
will provide them with future opportunities while also building
their
relationships and breaking down some of the misunderstandings which
lead to
conflict in the first place.”
The Youth Peacemaker Network will begin its initial roll-out by
holding its
first training for young women and men from Jonglei. The training will
take
place from 12-15 December 2012 at UNESCO Juba, and will cover
conflict
resolution, leadership, peace and community building, and mediation skills.
Over the next two years, the program will expand to include South Sudan-s
other
nine States and will continue to support the long-term capacity
development of
the youth as well as providing mentoring and business skills to
promote
attractive alternative learning and skills-based opportunities for youth.
For more information on PeaceEarth and the Youth Peacemaker Network, please
visit .
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Forest Whitaker:
Award winning artist, Humanist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Forest
Whitaker
has dedicated most of his time to extensive humanitarian work. In 2011, he
was
named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation for his
personal
dedication and work in the field of conflict resolution and his commitment
to
promote humanitarian ideals. He founded the Los Angeles based PeaceEarth
Foundation in 2012, and in partnership with Rutgers University, he co-
founded of
the International Institute for Peace under the auspices of UNESCO. In 2007
he
received the Cinema for Peace Award for his selfless and ongoing advocacy
for
child soldiers, as well as his work with inner-city youth. He was also
awarded
the Humanitas Prize in 2001. Currently, he serves as a spokesperson for the
Ugandan child soldier orphanage Hope North, and is a board member of the
President-s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). For more
information, join the conversation @ForestWhitaker.
About PeaceEarth Foundation:
The PeaceEarth Foundation is dedicated to peace-building and community
empowerment in areas of conflict everywhere. Founded in 2012 by Academy
Award
winning actor Forest Whitaker, the PeaceEarth Foundation works to engage,
empower and inspire youth, women, and global citizens to promote peace
across
the planet. Through on-the-ground programs in Africa and the United States,
the
PeaceEarth Foundation helps societies affected by conflicts and violence
transform into safe and productive communities. For more information, go to
and join the conversation on Twitter @ForestWhitaker.
About UNESCO Juba:
UNESCO-s mission is to contribute to the building of peace in the minds
of men
and women. UNESCO Juba is working together with the Ministry of Culture,
Youth
and Sport and the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, to
integrate
peace building into educational planning and delivery. The Office-s
priorities
include increasing literacy rates, promoting lifelong learning,
mobilizing
science knowledge and policy for sustainable development, addressing
social and
ethical challenges, fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue
and in
building an inclusive knowledge society through information and
communication.
About Zain:
Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and
North
Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 41.282 million
active
customers as of 30 September, 2012. With a commercial presence in 8
countries,
Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Saudi
Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. In Lebanon, the company manages -touch- on
behalf
of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5% stake in Wana Telecom, now
branded -INWI-, through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock
Exchange (stock ticker: ZAIN). For more, please email or
visit:
About Connect To Learn:
Connect To Learn is a global education initiative launched in 2010. With a
growing portfolio of partners now on board, Connect To Learn was designed
as a
public/private partnership to promote access to a 21st century secondary
education for everyone with a special emphasis on girls. The gender focus
is due
to the challenges girls face in completing their education globally,
despite the
enormous economic and societal benefits gender parity in education enables.
Connect To Learn aims to propagate practical solutions to ensure that
people
worldwide have access to education, providing secondary school scholarships
and
other support to keep girls in school, and implementing mobile broadband
connectivity in the schools they attend to improve access to learning
resources.
Connect To Learn is a non-profit venture catalyzed by The Earth Institute
at
Columbia University as Scientific Advisor, Ericsson as lead ICT partner,
and
Millennium Promise, an international 501c3, as administrative partner, and
other
organizations and individuals providing vital contributions. For more
information, please go to . Connect To Learn
multimedia
content is available at
About Ericsson:
Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at
Ericsson is the world-s leading provider of communications technology and
services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time
solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely,
in
sustainable societies around the world.
Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within
Information
and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries.
Today
more than 40 percent of the world-s mobile traffic goes through Ericsson
networks and we support customers- networks servicing more than 2.5 billion
subscribers.
We operate in 180 countries and employ more than 100,000 people. Founded in
1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2011 the company-s
net
sales were SEK 226.9 billion (USD 35.0 billion). Ericsson is listed on
NASDAQ
OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.
About Sony Mobile Communications:
Sony Mobile Communications is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation,
a
leading global innovator of audio, video, game, communications, key device
and
information technology products for both the consumer and professional
markets.
With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and online businesses,
Sony is
uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company
in
the world. Through its Xperia(tm) smartphone portfolio, Sony Mobile
Communications delivers the best of Sony technology, premium content and
services, and easy connectivity to Sony-s world of networked entertainment
experiences. For more information:
Youth Peacemaker Network launched in South Sudan:
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Source: Ericsson via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1664686]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
Amelia Gingold
(212) 691-2800
UNESCO
Hannah Snowden
Phone: +211 (0) 922403988
Email:
Ericsson Corporate Communications & Global PR
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail:
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