A local community based organisation Platform for Youth and Community Development (PYCD) has called for peacebuilding efforts in-order for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved.
In a statement to mark the International Day of Peace, PYCD urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to insulate the 2023 general elections from becoming violent.
PYCD also expressed concern that violence linked to elections had become a big worry since 2000 while calling on young people to refuse to be used as perpetrators of violence by political parties.
“In the current work of PYCD, we have observed that political violence linked to elections is now escalating and therefore calling for intervention through ensuring that the responsible bodies like the Zimbabwe Election Commission are engaged productively to insulate 2023 from becoming a violent election.
“Violence linked to election has remained a big worry for Zimbabwe since 2000. PYCD calls for the responsible involvement of young people in peace actions at all levels with the objective of creating massive awareness on the roles they can play as citizens other than being abused by political parties as perpetrators of violence,” said PYCD.
The organisation said without peace in the world, the SDGs remained a pipe dream as absence of cohesion would derail the achievement of all the 17 goals.
“As messengers of sustainable peace, PYCD is celebrating this day by presenting to the world some of the work we are doing to prove that local peace building is needed more than ever if the world is to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and in particular SDG 16,” the organisation added.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has urged government to withdraw the Private Voluntary Amendment Bill in favour of a law that facilitates the work of civil society organisations in the country.
“Withdraw the Private Voluntary Amendment Bill and start a comprehensive consultative process for an enabling law to be enacted that facilitates the work of civil society organisations,” ZLHR said in its International Day of Peace statement.
The organisation also demanded that government investigates all documented cases of gross human rights violations and hold perpetrators accountable.
