Amman, Jordan, 10 June 2010: HRH Prince Feisal hailed “the most memorable Generations For Peace camp yet” as he praised the hard work and dedication of the 77 delegates from Africa, Asia and, for the very first time, Europe, at a press conference today (Thursday).
Amman Camp 2010 has been a defining moment for Generations For Peace. In sending delegates for the first time, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Cyprus, The Russian Federation, Rwanda, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan and Serbia took the total number of countries and territories involved in the camps to 39.
With nearly 500 leaders of youth officially trained by Generations For Peace, and a further 2500 trained in the Generations For Peace Pioneers’ programmes in their home countries, the peace through sport initiative can now make a genuine claim to being a global force for improving the lives of young people affected by conflict.
Speaking at the press conference to mark the end of the hugely successful camp, HRH Prince Feisal said:
“Jordan has every right to be proud today. For Generations For Peace is a Jordanian initiative that has become truly global. But with that comes a responsibility to deliver the highest level of excellence.
“Having attended this camp nearly every day, I can safely say that we are delivering that excellence. When we were last together 10 days ago, I told you how optimistic I was, how energised I was, about the new developments in our organisation. And now, having spent 10 days in the company of these remarkable men and women, I am also supremely confident. Confident that we, at Generations For Peace, can realise our vision for helping to bring lasting peace to communities blighted by conflict.”
HRH Prince Feisal’s sentiments were echoed by many of the delegates, who say they feel galvanised by the last 10 days. Paul Yathak, who has created a community project bringing together young women from the north and south of war-torn Sudan, called his second Generations For Peace camp a “life-changing” experience.
“It is incredible to see how far Generations For Peace has developed in such a short space of time since 2007 when I last attended,” he said. “It has improved even further, and that is saying something because we all felt that initial pilot camp was excellent too.”
The camp organisers are particularly pleased that they have been able to initiate meaningful dialogue between delegates from all sides of the conflict divide. They hope that this could provide the impetus for bringing lasting peace to some of the world’s most volatile regions. Managing Director HRH Princess Sarah Al-Feisal highlighted the importance of the new allegiances:
“Just a few years ago, people would never have believed that we would be embarking on peace through sport projects aimed at uniting divided communities in countries such as Somalia, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria, Russia and Cyprus.”
“But that is exactly what has been achieved over the last 10 days. We have empowered these delegates to overcome obstacles people thought were insurmountable... and this is something of which we can all be truly proud.”
Generations For Peace, which has now held six international camps, enjoys incredible support, none more so than from its Founding Partner Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a renowned humanitarian from the Abu Dhabi Ruling Family. The sixth international Camp will mark the continuation of Samsung as the Official Regional Partner. The camp’s official suppliers are Sama Mineral Water, Sama Juice and Mudieb Haddad & Sons Co.