Luanda — The President of the ruling MPLA, João Lourenço, called on Thursday in Luanda for combined efforts to achieve global peace and security.
Speaking at the opening of the 9th JMPLA Congress(MPLA youth wing), which will elect the new governing bodies of the party's youth organization, Lourenço stressed that global peace and security are serious issues to be left solely in the hands of politicians, rulers and statesmen.
"This is an issue that concerns everyone, young people, women, civil society organizations, religious and community leaders, and so everyone must join forces and fight for something that is precious to us, because it is fundamental to the development of nations and peace," Lourenço said.
The MPLA leader spoke of the need to dedicate human, financial, material, technological and scientific resources to sort out the problems that afflict humanity, such as poverty, hunger and misery, diseases, endemics and pandemics and unemployment.
According to the MPLA president, the huge sums of money spent on wars could be used to build road, rail, port and airport infrastructures, hospitals, schools and water and energy production and distribution infrastructures.
"We could electrify and industrialize our continent and other underdeveloped areas of our planet. We therefore need to instill a culture of peace in our young people, as we have been doing with the Luanda Biennial and Angola's commitment to resolve conflicts in the region," Lourenço said.
João Lourenço urged young people should to raise interest and try to follow the evolution of the international political landscape, relations between states and economic and regional blocs, the correlation of forces in the international arena, existing conflicts, among others, always trying to be on the side of justice, truth, the defense of innocent civilians and the most vulnerable.
"At this critical time in the world, young people cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ukraine and Palestine, victims of armed conflicts that are devastating houses, schools, hospitals and other infrastructures, causing thousands of deaths and injuries, thousands of internally displaced people and refugees to neighboring countries, even reaching levels of true genocide in one case," Lourenço said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Running under the motto "JMPA - For the Homeland at the Service of Youth", the congress brings together 1,795 delegates to discuss changes to the organization's statutes, adjustments to the Programmatic Plan (2024-2029) patriotism, pride, love and devotion to the homeland.
The JMPLA was founded on November 23, 1962, in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in the context of the national liberation struggle. DC/TED/AMP
