YouSaid · the spoken record

Divina

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12

first

2023-02-13

most recent

2023-02-13

sittings or episodes

1

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un-security-council

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1. “There is one sentence that truly speaks to me — if you want to see change in your community or in the world, be that change — because change is the change until the change changes the changer.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

2. “We need coalitions to influence international political discourse and agendas by setting and promoting innovative discussions and perspectives on children’s rights in a changing global environment. Finally, States should ensure that the diversity of children’s experiences in conflict, which can vary depending on factors such as gender, race, ability, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic background and other forms of exclusion and marginalization, are factored into the development of law, policy and practice. In conclusion, there is no doubt that children can play a key role in peacebuilding and, specifically, in protecting their human rights, with or without sufficient resources. I believe that children are key stakeholders and are capable of driving societal transformation.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

3. “Education is also fundamental to help to include children’s participation in decision-making. That means investing in education that includes critical thinking, mediation, communication and working with others. Education and advocacy must also target adults in order to encourage them to better understand the perspectives of children and their views on peace and security. Further efforts should be made to empower children to exercise and claim their rights by advocating for and facilitating their participation in national, regional and international human rights mechanisms and processes. States too should strengthen the accountability to children by building synergies between the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other treaties and mechanisms — the Human Rights Council, the Sustainable Development Goals and the youth agenda.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

4. “As an African, when it comes to working with Governments or major international organizations locally or internationally, my feeling is that most of them seem to not take children and young girls seriously. They do not always allow or give them space to make decisions. They prefer to work with adult-led organizations working on issues that concern children and girls. To close the cycle of conflict, there is a need to invest in children and facilitate their participation. Stakeholders should support the development of platforms that prioritize the perspectives of children, including their experiences, and allow for collaboration with peers, young people and youth leaders to work together for peace, human rights and initiatives that prioritize the inclusion of children in peace processes.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

5. “We make sure that the beneficiaries are represented in the conceptualization, implementation and follow-up of the project in order for them to own it and to ensure the replicability and durability of the obtained results. Facilitating the involvement of children in decision-making also means removing technical and financial barriers that stand in the way of youth participation. From my experience, it has been difficult to identify and obtain the necessary funding in order to intensify my work and actions — either because Governments do not fund children’s or girls’ organizations or because the procedures of many funders are often generally complex.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

6. “In order to better integrate children’s perspectives on peace and develop initiatives and sustainable solutions, States have to encourage the involvement of children and youth of diverse identities in the co-creation process from the start, so as to better understand their context and realities and, ultimately, design more relevant, effective and inclusive programmes. In projects and policy implementation, stakeholders should create an enabling environment in which young people can participate, so that everyone can make the most of the opportunities available. For example, before implementing projects, my organization makes field trips to administer questionnaires to make sure that children really understand a specific issue and issue a proposal to mitigate — or maybe end — the problem.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

7. “We also created over 270 peace clubs, which we have been operationalizing in schools, neighbourhoods, mosques and churches. These girl-led clubs seek to improve children’s understanding on topics related to peacebuilding, children’s rights, gender equity and build their capacity in conflict prevention and resolution. As part of that initiative, children have elaborated and implemented a children’s declaration against violent extremism and radicalization. To strengthen prevention within the children and armed conflict agenda and to fully leverage existing tools to prevent grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict, I will focus on one specific recommendation that is close to the efforts of my organization: children’s perspectives on peace.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

8. “Children, religious and traditional leaders and even local authorities are working together closely in order to combat hate, violent speech and the illicit proliferation of weapons. My work with Children for Peace has been acknowledged and recognized because it yields results. Through community awareness and advocacy campaigns, the Silence the Guns project has helped to reach at least 5.5 million people. The project facilitated support for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of 5,000 children formerly enrolled in armed groups. I can concretely see that the stigmatization of disengaged children and ex- combatants has decreased by 45 per cent in the targeted areas — the far north and north-west of the country.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

9. “Children for Peace works in various areas and regions in Cameroon, with more than 100 permanent members. Our strategy relies on art, capacity- building, the operationalization of gender peace clubs, documentaries, mentoring, advocacy, psychosocial assistance and even software design. With Children for Peace, we have implemented several projects, among which Silence the Guns, launched in 2019, is one of the flagships. It is an integrated citizen- engagement project led by girls, aiming to realize a conflict-free Africa, thereby engaging all stakeholders and mobilizing them to contribute to children’s rights and effective socioeconomic development, as well as peacebuilding. Through the project, children are taking positive actions to find better solutions to issues related to peacebuilding, violent extremism and human rights.”

   2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

10. “As I just mentioned, in Africa, thousands of children and young people have been forced to serve as combatants, mine testers, messengers and cooks, and some of them have even been used as human shields. Girls and women, in particular, are targeted for horrendous purposes — to be used as sex slaves for military or armed-group leaders. After living through this terrible situation, I decided to take the bull by the horns. Responding to the needs of those children, in 2015 I created Children for Peace, a child- and girl-led movement working across Cameroon and several African countries in complex cultural systems and affected areas by working to democratize the public sphere for inclusive governance and greater political and economic expression of children in public spheres.”

    2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

11. “Today we are still seeing wars and armed conflicts across the world that could prevent the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In Africa and the Middle East, the sociopolitical context is characterized by an escalation of violence and insecurity perpetrated by armed groups, including some designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations. Many children have been forced to flee. In Africa they are used as combatants, mine testers and cooks. My country, Cameroon, is in the grip of multiple conflicts and is being affected by increasing levels of violence and insecurity. Around the world today, conflicts have huge consequences on human rights, particularly for children, girls and women.”

    2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source

12. “Ms. Divina: Permit me to thank Almighty God for this wonderful moment and Malta for convening this important discussion at the Security Council and giving me the opportunity to represent civil society and children at this briefing. I also thank the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and on Violence against Children, respectively. My name is Divina Maloum. I am 18 years old and an award-winning peacebuilding practitioner from Cameroon, focusing on prevention, children’s rights and gender-related issues. I started my journey as a young activist at the age of 14 by creating an organization that then comprised 100 children as changemakers. Since then, the organization has mobilized at least 5,000 children per year in peacebuilding activities.”

    2023-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9258 (2023) · source