Scouts can act as peace diplomats: MSF chair

The capital Nay Pyi Taw yesterday played host to the Dialogue for Peace Facilitator’s Training, a gathering aimed at fostering international friendship and holding talks about values that can be sought and shared among the youth. Jointly sponsored by the Myanmar Scout Federation (MSF) and the Asia-Pacific Scout Region of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), the training is set to cover a wide array of subjects, ranging from the nature and understanding of conflicts, peace building, individual and diverse views in dialogues, support for dialogues, and transparency in holding talks and negotiations for peace processes.

Professor Peter Bletch of the WOSM delivered an address at the opening ceremony of the training, which also aims to promote essential values for a better world and global peace by helping increase the number of talks on religion, culture, generations, and gender, building respect for humanity regardless of faith, race, gender, and age through constructive dialogues, disseminating knowledge and individual values, and promoting knowledge about the global peace process.

“We have opened this training to build peace amidst a diversity of languages, cultures and situations,” said Dr. Tin Nyo, Chairman of the MSF. “Experts at the training will give lectures to scouts from the Asia-Pacific Region. The young ones, aged between 18 and 26, will join hands with peacemakers in the peace process.” “Scouts can act as peace diplomats,” he noted, adding that he believed the trainees will help the country by imparting their knowledge through the peace talks.

Mr. J. Rizal C. Pangilinan, director of the Asia-Pacific Scout Region, talked about the involvement of WOSM in global peace processes during the opening ceremony held at the Mawlamyine Hall of the Gold Camp, Myanmar’s main sports training centre in the capital city.

Chief instructor Mr. Annas Alabbadi and Dr. Tin Nyo of the MSF said the purpose of the training was to organise talks on the hopes and statements of dialogues, the adoption of dialogue rules and principles, as well as country-wide and Asia-Pacific region-level talks. “This is the first of its kind in Asia,” said Dr. Tin Nyo about the training, which was attended by 51 trainees, of which 16 were scouts from the Asia-Pacific Region, 25 were from Myanmar, and 10 were scouting enthusiasts. The Dialogue for Peace Facilitator’s Training will run for four days, until 25 July.

Myanmar News Agency

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar