Public Agenda (Accra)
12 September 2008
Ghanaian student Valaria Okai will meet President of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat as part of a youth peace-building programme taking place in Nicosia next week.
Okai, 23, was selected from hundreds of young people around the world to take part in a weeklong programme of activities relating to the theme "Conflict and Beyond" as part of the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme. The event comes just a week after long-awaited reunification talks between the Cypriot President and Turkish Cypriot leader are due to commence.
As well as discussing conflict resolution with the respective leaders, Okai, along with 28 other gifted youth delegates from 21 Commonwealth countries, will take a rare tour inside the Green Line with UN Peacekeepers and participate in workshops with the UNDP and British Council.
Valeria is a graduate of the University of Ghana and is currently studying for a Masters in Development Studies at Cambridge University in the UK on a Commonwealth scholarship.
She will bring valuable knowledge and experience to the programme which aims to inspire leaders of tomorrow.
"As the next generation of leaders, young people are not only powerful agents abut also the key to safeguarding the peace of tomorrow's world."
The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is an international Non-Governmental Organisation working to promote an understanding of the nature and working of the Commonwealth, and of the factors which shape the lives of its peoples and the policies of its governments. The RCS is supported by a worldwide membership of over 10,000, with self-governing branches, honorary representatives and affiliated organisations in 39 countries and territories. The international headquarters are in London.
The Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme (CYLP) is also known as "Nkabom", meaning 'coming together' in the Ghanaian language of Twi. It is a biennial project organized by the RCS running from 14-21 September. It directly precedes the RCS International Meeting, running in Cyprus from 22-27 September, which brings together RCS branches and membership from across the world.
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