Youth Contact Group for Peace

Negotiation; the Way to Peace – Herat

A number of young people, members of the Jirga and the Secretariat of the New Generation Peace Jirga and the youth of Herat province under a press conference “Negotiation; The way to peace" was held on Tuesday, 18 of Sawr, 1400 according to May 8, 2021 with the presence of the media, university professors, civil activists and the officials of the institutions.

Arash Basharyar, Chairman of the Provincial Secretariat of the New Generation and Youth Peace Jirga of Herat Province on continuing peace activities at the request of the members of the Jirga and the concerns of the youth of Herat, they spoke about the escalation of the war in the country and the responsibility of the youth.

Layal Amiri, Deputy Secretary, and Abdullah Shahid Zadah, Legal Advisor to the Herat Provincial Secretariat, spoke about the demands and concerns of people in the peace process. Aziz Ahmad Azizi, Press Advisor, and Aziz Ahmad Karimi in charge of the Secretariat Evaluation Committee the Provincial Jirga called for a ceasefire and an end to the war through negotiations.

Professor Bashir Tariq in charge of the Advisory Board on the religious status of peace and the illegitimacy of the current war in the country, Sediqha Nazari, Head of the Media Committee and Spokesperson of the Secretariat on the Role of Youth in the Peace Process, Mashaeb Amirian, Deputy of the Committee Communications and Abdul Wahid Mofaker, Member of the Media Committee spoke about the increasing the offensive, ending the current war and resolving the current crisis through political dialogue and understanding.

Firuz Ahmad Behzad stressed the need to reduce tensions and bring the IMT back to the negotiating table. In the end, Gholam Rasool, the Secretariat of the Herat Provincial Jirga read out the final resolution of the meeting, which is as follows:

Statements of the Conference

The Secretariat of the Provincial Peace Jirga of the Herat conducted a press conference regarding peace process with the participation of hundreds of young people.

We are a group of young people, members of the Jirga and the Secretariat of the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga of Herat are concerned about peace talks and the escalation of war across the country. For this purpose the press conference entitled "Negotiation; The way to peace" Hold, expressing their wishes and concerns in the process, stated the following:

1. History has shown to all that no one in Afghanistan has been able to gain power by force. So, for this reason, we, the youth, want the war engaged parties to do not miss this golden opportunity and return to the negotiating table;

2. The current violence in the country has caused great damage to the peace talks. We want from the involved sides in the war, to declare a nationwide ceasefire in the country on the days of Eid-ul-Fitr;

3. Our request to the parties involved is to attend in the Istanbul summit and to end the war through dialogue and political agreements;

4. We call on the International Community, especially the US, not to put Afghanistan alone in a critical situation and encourage different groups to attend in the Istanbul summit;

5. As foreign troops leave Afghanistan, there is no justification for continuing the war in Afghanistan, so the parties involved, especially the Taliban to stop the war and use the opportunity;

6. We condemn misuse of the peace process by the Taliban and increase the offensive in the districts of the Herat province and overall country. Only Afghans and our dear country are the victims of this war;

7. The International Community and the UN must support the people of Afghanistan during and after peace negotiations;

8. Once again, we call on the parties involved to observe and respect the religious minorities, human rights and religious, linguistic and ethnic differences of the Afghan people and lead the people of Afghanistan towards a safe life.

Kind regards

Media and Spokesperson Office of YCGP

Secretariat of the Provincial Peace Jirga of the New Generation and Youth of Herat Province

May 8, 2021 / 18 of Sawr, 1400

“Turkey Summit Is a Good Opportunity to End Afghanistan Crisis” – Khost

A number of young people, members of the Jirga and the Secretariat of the of Khost province held a press conference under the title of "Turkey summit is a good opportunity to end the crisis in Afghanistan" on 15 of Sawr, 1400 according to May 5, 2021 in this Province.

Taher Jan Khayal, Chairman of the Provincial Secretariat, Zarwali Khosh Nood, Head of the Media and Spokesperson Committee, Ali Shah Amada, Head of Communication Committee, Akhtar Gol Wafa, Head of the Coordination Committee with War Victims, and Mohammad Ayub Haqhmal, Member of the Advisory Board of the Secretariat peace spoke on behalf of others and while condemning the bloody attacks in the country, especially the recent bloody attack in Logar and the targeted assassinations across the country, they expressed their concerns and demands the resumption of the peace process and intra-Afghan talks.

Statements of the Conference

The Youths and New Generation Peace Jirga of Khost Province, which was held on March 5, 2021 with the participation of hundreds of young people in this province is the starting point of the unique collective movement of the youth of Khost in the peace process of the country. The secretariat of the Youths and New Generation Peace jirga of Khost province is the continuation of the Jirga and previous activities of the youth of Khost related with peace. It is worth mentioning that the Secretariat of the Jirga was established in cooperation with YCGP.

The Secretariat of the Provincial Peace Jirga of Khost Province condemns the bloody attack in the country, especially the attack the recent attack in Logar and the targeted assassinations overall the country, express their demands and concerns about the peace process in the country, they indicate following:

1. Peace is one of the common demands of all Afghans and an urgent need, and it would be impossible to resolve the Afghan crisis without political agreements. Therefore, the youth of Khost province and the members of the Jirga want from the warring parties to resume the peace talks as soon as possible and neither side should leave the negotiating table until Afghans reach a peaceful, political and fundamental agreement among themselves;

2. We call on all engaged parties (the Taliban, the Afghan Government and the US) to reach an agreement in the peace talks, the Turkey summit is a good opportunity to end the war in Afghanistan;

3. As we know, the presence of the people of great Paktia, especially the people of Khost province, is insignificant in the negotiating delegation of the Afghan Government, but we call on the government to increase the engagement of the people of Khost in the Peace Negotiation delegation;

4. In addition, youths of the country have intentions and good plans for lasting peace in the country, which are based on scientific thoughts and theories for peaceful, inclusiveness and the conclusion of peace talks. We call on the negotiating parties and the International Community to give the Afghan youth a greater part in the peace process.

Kind regards

Media and Spokesperson Office of YCGP

The Secretariat of the Provincial Peace Jirga of the New Generation and Youth of Khost Province

May 5, 2021 / 15 of Sawr, 1400

April 29, 2021

“The concerns of Baghalan Youths about Escalation of War and Uncertain State of Peace Talks”

A number of young people, members of the Jirga and the Secretariat of the Youths and New Generation Peace Jirga of Baghlan Province conducted a press conference titled "Concern of the youth of Baghlan about the escalation of the war and the uncertain condition of the peace talks" in the center of the province on Tuesday, May 21, 2021.

Ahmad Fawad Forough Advisor to the Advisory Board, Abdullah Qhaderi Political Advisor, Ariana Parsi Chairwoman of the Media Committee, Mohammad Alam Barakzai, Deputy Chairman of the Media Committee, and Amina Wardak, Member of the Media Committee of the Provincial Secretariat Spoke on behalf of others and expressed their opinions and concerns about the escalation of violence in the country and the uncertain situation of the peace process.

The Resolution of the Conference

We, a group of young people, members of the Jirga and the Secretariat of the Youths and New Generation peace Jirga of the Baghlan province, expressed our concerned over the intensifying the war and violence and we also expresses our concern about the uncertainty of the peace talks and call for the following:

1. To end the war and conclude peace talks, the Taliban must return to the negotiating table and resolve their differences through dialogue and negotiations;

2. Both sides should seize the opportunity to end the current war;

3. We call on the Taliban to declare a ceasefire as soon as possible in order to build trust between the two sides;

4. The parties to the negotiations must give up their personal and group interests and take priority in to the voice of the people for peace;

5. In order to ensure peace and the inclusion of peace agreements, young people and women must be present and be involved;

6. We call on both sides (the government and Taliban) to be flexible in peace negotiations;

7. We call on the Government and the Taliban to prevent targeted killings of journalists, civil society activists and religion scholars;

8. We call on the neighboring countries and the region to cooperate with the people of Afghanistan to conclude the Afghan Peace Process.

Kind regards

Media and Spokesperson Office of YCGP

The Provincial Secretariat of Baghlan Youths and New Generation Peace Jirga

May 4, 2021 / 14 of Sawr, 1400

Press Conference of Balkh Provincial Secretiarat

Press Conference of Balkh Provincial Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Balkh Youths and New Generation Provincial Peace Jirga conducted a press conference on Saturday, May 5, 2021 under the title "Concerns in the peace process and the demands of the youth of Balkh province from the negotiating parties" with the participation of youth, women and civil activists in the province.

First, Frozan Aria, Chairwomen of the Balkh Provincial Secretiarat of the Jirga, provided information regarding the purpose of press conference and the activities of YCGP and the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga.

In this event, Omid Balkhi, the head of the media committee and the spokesman of the Balkh Provincial Secretariat discussed regarding the opportunities and challenges towards Peace in Afghanistan, Bashir Badloon, Deputy Chairman of the Media Committee discussed on the role of Youth in the Peace Process, Abdul Hamid Ansari Deputy Secretary of the Balkh Provincial Secretariat discussed on the Challenges and Opportunities in the Peace Talks, Seyed Ismail Salehi Balkhi, Media Advisor to the Balkh Provincial Secretariat spoke about the Peace and the role of youth in the decision making process, Abdul Hadi Balkhwal, head of the communications committee spoke about the youth demands from the engaged parties in the IA, Nasira Samar, Legal Advisor to the Balkh Provincial Secretariat, read the press release of the press conference.

Resolution of the Conference

The Provincial Secretariat of the Balkh Peace Jirga is the continuation of the Jirga which conducted in the Balkh province with the cooperation of YCGP to create convergence and coordination among the new generation and the youth in the peace process. .

Secretary of the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga of Balkh Province expressed their concerns regarding the stoppage of the peace talks between the government and the Taliban and intensify fighting and the increase in violence across the country.

1. We call on the engaged parties in the IAN to end the violence as soon as possible and to resume peace talks immediately;

2. we the youth of Balkh province request from the negotiating parties to observe the principle of good faith in the negotiations and the use negotiating table as the last solution to end the crisis of Afghanistan;

3. Intensification of conflicts should not be used to gin credits at the negotiating table, because the continuation of this situation is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan;

4. The Secretariat of the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga of Balkh as a specific address of the youth of Balkh in the peace process call for the unconditional ceasefire in the country and call on the negotiating parties to involve the youth in the national decisions and peace process and to consider the rights of women, children and victims of war and religious monitories in the peace process.

Kind regards

Media and Spokesperson office of YCGP

Secretariat of the Balkh Provincial Youths and new generation peace Jirga

“The Demands and Concerns of the Youth of Bamyan Province about the Peace Process”

ۤ"The Demands and Concerns of the Youth of Bamyan Province about the Peace Process"

A number of activists, youth and the secretariat of the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga of Bamyan Province expressed their demands and concerns relating to the peace process during a press conference on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

This program was held in the center of Bamyan, attending dozens of young people, including professors of educational centers, civic and cultural activists, officials and members of educational institutions and social organizations.

Mohammad Aman Rahgozar, Chairman of the Provincial Secretariat of the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga of Bamyan, Mohammad Alam Fazel Political Advisor of the Provincial Secretariat, Abdullah Shaygan, Media Advisor to the Provincial Secretariat, Taher Mohammadi and Hamideh Mohseni The deputies of the Secretariat of the Provincial of the Jirga spoke on behalf of the youth of Bamyan and the demands and concerns of the youth of the province was told about the peace process.

The youth of Bamyan consider the end of the war and the achievement of lasting peace as the wishes and aspirations of all citizens of the country and the warring parties in Afghanistan were called upon to end the ongoing war in the country as soon as possible and set it on ceasefire enough to be permanent and pervasive. Young people continue to express their concerns about the post-peace system preserving the achievements of two decades and the meaningful participation of youth, women and other influential sections of society in decision relating to the peace and war.

Resolution of the Conference

In connection with the concerns and demands of the youth of Bamyan province relating to the peace process, the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga was held on 25 of Sunbula, 1399 with the participation of hundreds of young people. It was the beginning of the collective movement of the youth of Bamyan in the peace process of the country. Following the previous activities of the youth of Bamyan in connection with peace, Secretariat of the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga of the province was established in cooperation with YCGP.

The Secretariat of the Provincial Youth and New Generating Peace Jirga of Bamyan Province, considering the serious need to end the war and bloodshed in the country and achieving lasting peace, in its first practical action, addresses the demands and concerns of the youth of Bamyan relating to the Afghan Peace Process:

1. We, the youth of Bamyan, are deeply concerned about the escalation of the bloody attacks in the country and the targeted killings of prominent people, journalists, civil society activists, civilians and condemn most recently, bloody and criminal attacks in various provinces of Afghanistan, especially in Logar Province, calling on Afghan Government and the Taliban to end the war and ensure ceasefire as soon as possible;

2. calling on all involved parties and national and international institutions to preserve the achievements of last two decades, the system based on the votes of the people, the constitutional rights of citizens in the constitution, the rights of minorities, women and the deprived people;

3. We call on the parties involved in the peace process of the country to consider the principle of meaningful inclusive participation, especially the youth, women and other parts in the peace process;

4. We call on the parties involved to prioritize national interests and to seize the opportunity independently and to strive for lasting and dignified peace without any external pressure, and not to seek victory through war and bloods heeding;

5. On behalf of the youth of Bamyan, while appreciating the effective presence of the UN peacekeeping forces and respecting the withdrawal of the forces, we call on the NATO, the US and other international and regional partners in Afghanistan to continue their assistance in various fields, especially the Afghan Security Forces;

6. We call on the Afghan Government to ensure the security of Afghanistan's highways, especially the Kabul-Bamyan highway;

7. We once again call on the Islamic Movement of Taliban to stop physical inspections, harassment and field trials of public in their controlling areas and Kabul-Bamyan highway in particular;

Kind regards

Media and Spokesman office of YCGP

Bamyan Provincial Secretariat of the Youth and New Generation Peace Jirga

May 5, 2021 / 15 of Sawr, 1400

Peace Advocacy Summit -Kandahar

A number of tribal elders, religious scholars, youth, civil and political activists and residents of Kandahar province called in a conference for ensuring of a ceasefire, resumption of direct talks and talks between Afghans, significant participation of young people in the peace process and monitoring of young people from peace process of Afghanistan. The participants in the meeting also expressed their hatred from the war and demanding the Afghan Government, the Islamic Movement of Taliban and the US to increase efforts for an immediate ceasefire and bringing peace in Afghanistan

Kandahar Youth and New Generation Peace Conference Resolution

We brought together elders of various ethnic groups, scholars, youth, civil and political activists and supporters of YCGP in Kandahar province conducted a peace promoting event in Afghanistan related to peace talks and called for the following:

1. The Great Kandahar (Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul and Helmand) has always been a field of fierce and brutal battles for many years and along with other compatriots, they have made many sacrifices. Therefore, we explicitly declare that we no longer tolerate war and fratricide and call for an immediate ceasefire between the AG, the US and the IMT. We support and welcome the actions that strengthen the atmosphere of trust between the IMT, the US and the AG;

2. We support the talks between the US and the IMT, and call for face-to-face talks without any condition between Afghans. We demand that the AG should begin the talks with the presence of an inclusive delegation (from prominent political movements, civil institutions, youth and women);

3. We, the elders, ethnic influential and scholars of Kandahar, want the AG and the IMT to share the youth and the new generation of Afghanistan “The main victims of insecurity and war” in the national processes, especially in peace talks;

4. We, the elders of different ethnic groups, scholars and youth of Kandahar, believe in the principle of national unity and acceptance of different ethnic groups in the country. We want to ensure a lasting peace and preventing ethnic, linguistic and religious prejudices in the national processes;

5. The great Kandahar is the resting place of the great men of history such as Mirwais Khan Nikah and Ahmad Shah Baba and the witness of big events and historical Jirgas. We, the people of Kandahar province proudly declare of our readiness to host peace talks between the IMT and the AG and other Afghans involved in the process;

6. YCGP as an independent address that does not belong to any internal or external faction with coherent and people-centered programs are putting effort to establish lasting peace in the country and we, the youth of Kandahar province, stand with youth of other united provinces and especially YCGP based on the active presence of youth and new generation representatives of the Afghanistan to support and monitor the process.

Kind regards

A gathering of elders from various ethnic groups, scholars, youth and supporters of YCGP

Kandahar - Afghanistan

December 2, 2019 / 11 of Qaws, 1398

Representatives of YCGP Visited the Village of Jodara in Hiska Mina District of Nangarhar

A group of activists, youth and representatives of YCGP visited village of Jodara, Hiska Mina district to raise the voice of peace. During the visit, while praying for the souls of the martyrs who died as a result of the suicide attack in the mosque, there were discussions with the elders and people of the village.

Jodara village is one of the villages in Hiska Mina district of Nangarhar province, which has been under attack for several years, faced with inhuman oppression by ISIL and other terrorist groups. The village also has been faced with inhumane crimes and imposed wars. The people and elders of Jodara village had two clear demands from the government:

1 - After the bloody attack of ISIL in this village, the president visited there and promised for helping, but unfortunately still promises of the president had done nothing for the people. Now, the villagers call for attention to be paid for the people and survivors of the victims in which the majority are children and women from the government officials in Nangarhar province and the President;

2 - The people of Jodara stood with resistance and self-sacrifice against the activities of ISIL with courage and bravery for several years without no facilities. Unfortunately, due to the lack of government support and the activism of ISIS in the region, the water has been closed to the people of this village by the ISIS group, which in this part also demands the serious attention of the government and other institutions are required.

YCGP on behalf of the youth and the new generation of Afghanistan is grateful from the heroic people of Jodara and especially the great people of Shinwar for their stands and sacrifice against ISIS and other regional and international terrorist groups.

Kind regards

Secretariat of YCGP

November 12, 2019, 22 of Aqrab, 1398

Peace Advocacy Summit-Paktia

A number of civil activists, ethnic influential, religious scholars, youth and supporters of YCGP launched gathering in Gardez, the capital of Paktia province related to the peace process. They expressed their demands to the Government of Afghanistan, the International Community and the Islamic Movement of Taliban.

The participants of the meeting, called for the resumption of peace talks, an immediate ceasefire and the presence of young people in the talks and also emphasized on creating an inclusive delegation of youth from all provinces of Afghanistan to monitor the peace process.

Resolution of the Gathering

1. We call on the Government of Afghanistan, the US and the Islamic Movement of Taliban to ensure an immediate ceasefire and resume the peace talks;

2. The people of Afghanistan are tired of war; the war is imposed in the country and we are peace-loving people and call for the peace;

3. We, the people of Paktia, call on the warring parties to stop violence, hatred and killing. Instead of that put for a lasting peace;

4. Peace talks between the AG and the Islamic Movement of Taliban should begin as soon as possible and the negotiating team should involve young people;

5. We do not want fratricide, youth and Afghan genocide to be continued in this country and we want to live in a peaceful atmosphere;

6. We call on the countries of the region and the world to put pressure on the involved parties to start face-to-face talks for lasting peace;

7. We support and welcome all the actions that creates trust or a suitable atmosphere between the parties involved in the Afghan peace process (the Government of Afghanistan, the US, the Islamic Movement of Taliban). We believe that the recent exchange of prisoners is a positive step towards peace between the parties involved, and we continue to call on other prisoners to be released on the basis of a regular and legal plan;

8- We, the young activists, influential people, religious scholars and supporters of YCGP in coordination and alignment with the youth and the new generation are forming a delegation from among the young and new generation to keep up with the progress of the negotiation process and monitor the process.

Kind regards

People and Youth of Paktia Province and Supporters of YCGP

27 of Aqrab, 1398

The Secretariat Meeting of YCGP

The Secretariat Meeting of YCGP was held.in Kabul by presence of a majority of active members of the group, young people and representatives of the new generation.
The following issues were discussed and consulted:

1. Presenting reports on previous activities and reviewing meetings of YCGP in Kabul, Zabul and Uruzgan;

2. Carrying out further activities and programs in the capital and provinces of the country;

3. Ceasefire and continuation of US-IMT peace talks in which the AG should be the main party (meeting of all three parties);

4. The weakness of the government in circumstance of creating an internal consensus for the peace talks;

5. The finalization of the government negotiating team, the presence of the youth and the new generation in it and circumstance of monitoring the process of peace talks with the IMT.

Kind regards

The press office of YCGP

November 7, 2019 / 16 of Aqrab, 1398

Peace and Youths – Zabul

A group of young people and elites of the new generation of Zabul province participated in a meeting called "Peace and Youth" on 29 of Sunbula, 1398 equal to September 20, 2019, made the following suggestions and requests:

1- Zabul province is one of the provinces that has always suffered from war and insecurity, especially during the recent years and sustained a lot of causalities. We want the elders of the province who are in irresponsible armed groups, in the IMT or in the government to make efforts for bringing peace and starting of intra-Afghan peace talks;

2- The honorable people of Zabul, especially the youth of this province are getting sacrificed every day due to war and insecurity, and war forced them to stay away from education;

3- Ensuring security is one of the most fundamental rights of our citizenship. Hence, we want the honorable people of Zabul, including men and women, especially the new generation of the country, to raise their voices and get united to call for an end to the war and start peace talks;

4- We, the people of Zabul, have sacrificed more than anyone else in this imposed war, we lost our family members and we have lost our possessions, we have migrated and displaced. We, the youth of Zabul, ask our other compatriots to raise a common voice with us in this regard;

5- The youth, as a populous segment of Afghanistan, either have no or very little role in the peace talks. We want the youth to be actively and effectively involved in peace talks because the youth are the most among the victims and no address can represent this group or have a correct understanding of their situation;

6 – Taking war and insecurity into consideration, one of the main responsibilities of our youth is to get the main picture of the current war in the village and show the towns of Afghanistan to the world. This war is not imposed on us, but we are the victims in it, the fire is from someone else, but we burn in it. Sacrifice is ours, but benefit goes to others. No one can bring us peace unless we ourselves engage in Afghan-centric peace;

7. YCGP is the only address for young people to achieve peace and peace talks. YCGP on behalf of the Afghanistan’s youth calls for proxy wars not to be imposed on our people again, and we should no longer be the victims.

Finally, it is emphasized that such meetings should be continuing by participation of all scholars, elders, professors, youth, businessmen and we want other citizens of the country to raise their voices for peace and take responsibility for their faith and conscience. We call on the US, the government officials and the IMT to resume peace talks and put efforts that Intra-Afghan peace talks take place. We also call on influential countries in Afghanistan peace process to make efforts for resuming intra-Afghan peace talks.

Kind regards

The Press office of YCGP

September 20, 2019 / 29 Sunbula, 1398