This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the the World Anti-Fascist War. On July 29, the World Youth Peace Conference, themed “Together for Peace,” was held in Beijing. President Xi Jinping sent a letter to the conference, emphasizing that the future of peace lies with the youth. He expressed hope that young people from all countries will take this conference as an opportunity to exchange ideas, deepen understanding, make friends, and work together as advocates of peace and actors in peaceful development, contributing their wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Looking back 80 years, humanity, in its darkest hour, chose unity and resistance, and through great sacrifice, secured justice and peace for the world. Despite the geographical distance between China and the Maldives, both have endured the suffering of foreign invasion and colonial oppression. The Chinese people fought a bitter war for 14 years, becoming a key force in the global anti-fascist struggle. Sixty years ago, the Maldivian people courageously cast off colonial shackles to achieve national independence. These shared historical experiences have created a natural resonance and mutual understanding between our two peoples on issues of peace and sovereignty.
Today, as global instability continues to grow, young people should become a vital force in safeguarding peace, promoting dialogue, and advocating win-win cooperation. Youth from both countries should work hand in hand, learning from each other in fields such as civilizational advancement, sustainable development, and technological innovation—replacing prejudice with understanding, and resolving conflict through consensus.
The hope of the world lies in the youth, and the future of peace depends on action. Let us remember history, cherish peace, and walk together on the path toward building a community with a shared future for humanity.
The full text of the “World Youth Peace Initiative” is as follows:
World Youth Peace Initiative
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations.
Eighty years ago, in face of the dark and evil forces of fascism, people from different countries, nations, social systems, and ideologies united together and, through tremendous sacrifice, secured the triumph of justice and peace, marking the beginning of a new chapter in rebuilding post-war world order and the pursuit of lasting peace for humanity.
Over the past 80 years, under the themes of peace and development and propelled by waves of scientific and technological innovation, human civilization has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity, the world has become more interconnected than ever before, and humanity has increasingly become a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe.
Today, 80 years on, transformations of the world unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace. Changes of the world, of our times, and of the historical trajectory are taking place in ways like never before. Once again, humanity has come to a crossroads of unity or division, dialogue or confrontation, win-win cooperation or zero-sum games.
As representatives of the youth from around the world, we deeply cherish peace and understand the responsibilities borne by our generation. Only by treasuring peace and upholding unity can humanity embrace a brighter future. To this end, we solemnly issue this World Youth Peace Initiative, calling on young people across the globe to unite in safeguarding peace, promoting development, and shaping our shared future.
We call on youth to defend world peace. History must not be distorted; justice must be upheld and peace be safeguarded. Young people of all nations should draw wisdom from history and take concrete actions to defend peace, oppose all forms of war and violence, and reject unilateralism, hegemonism, and protectionism. Together, we should defend the hard-won outcomes of the victory in World War II, safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, and put true multilateralism into practice, to contribute youthful strength to the cause of global peace.
We call on youth to pioneer mutual learning among civilizations. To safeguard world peace, we should first construct defenses of peace in our minds. Young people of all nations should uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority, to contribute youthful wisdom to fostering harmony among civilizations and deepening friendship among peoples.
We call on youth to advocate win-win cooperation. Development is the cornerstone of peace. Young people of all nations should adhere to the philosophy of win-win cooperation and common development. By making full use of multilateral and regional mechanisms and platforms, we should deepen and expand youth cooperation, actively participate in the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the outcomes of the Summit of the Future, to inject fresh momentum into bridging global development divides and promoting inclusive, equitable global growth.
We call on youth to tackle climate change. Climate change poses a threat to our shared home on Earth. Young people of all nations should act on the spirit of “promoting global solidarity” and actively engage in global climate actions, to demonstrate commitment of the youth in delivering innovative solutions to the climate crisis, improving global ecological governance, and addressing international challenges hand in hand.
We call on youth to promote “technologies for social good.” While technological advances bring opportunities for peace, they also pose new challenges. Young people of all nations should stand at the forefront of emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, shoulder responsibilities, and work for the goal that technological advances benefit the entire humanity, and that digital development remain inclusive, to contribute youthful solutions to improving global tech governance and building an inclusive, fair, and sustainable global future.
Eighty years ago, our predecessors illuminated darkness with unity. Eighty years later, it is up to us—the youth—to define the future through action. Let us take the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations as a new starting point, unite for peace and work hand in hand for the shared future of mankind!
(The author of this article is the Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives)