The Baha’i International Community’s (BIC) Brussels Office attended the second edition of the  conference on the Global State of Human Rights, jointly organized by the European Parliament (EP) and the Global Campus of Human Rights, a global network of universities in the fields of human rights and democracy.

The conference gave academics, parliamentarians, human rights stakeholders, and civil society organizations an opportunity to reflect on the current state of children’s rights and on the role of youth as drivers of change.

Panelists included Denis Mukwege, the Nobel Peace Prize and Sakharov Prize laureate, Eamon Gilmore, European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, and Maria Arena, Chair of the EP’s Subcommittee on Human Rights. 

In her opening remarks, delivered by video, Roberta Metsola, President of the EP, commented on the timeliness of the conference, saying, “As we pull out from a global pandemic, as the geopolitical landscape has shifted … human rights worldwide have been negatively affected and children’s human rights have been hit the hardest.”

During the first session, participants highlighted that children are both the most vulnerable and the most affected in times of crises. “Wherever human rights are not respected, children's rights are at risk,” said Maria Arena.

In a second session, participants explored the role of youth as actors of change. The discussion was enriched by the experience of young actors and focused on the importance of engaging youth at different levels.

During the discussion, Marthe Wandou, a Cameroonian activist working to improve the wellbeing of girls and women and a Right Livelihood laureate, referred to youth as “spearheads,” saying that “children and young people have always been recognised as an important human resource capable of bringing about and affecting change in all areas.”

Sina Varaei, attending the conference on behalf of the BIC, said in his remarks that the capacity of youth to forge new patterns of interactions within their community and wider society was key.

“What is the role of youth in breaking the patterns of violence and exclusion which prevail in their family, community or country? How can we draw on youth’s acute sense of justice and their natural willingness to make a difference?” Varaei said. “How can the approach we adopt in our initiatives reflect a conception of young people as endowed with valuable capacities?”