Marie Christina Kolo ,
Please provide us with your views on the state of peace in the country you will represent at the One Young World Summit
Ranked 38th World's most peaceful country, Madagascar is shown by the Global Peace Index 20161 as a peaceful and quiet country with few external threats. However, his precarious, social and economic situation makes it very vulnerable to the emergence of internal violence. Conflict and tension factors remain significant and include : territorial and ethnic imbalances, rising crime and corruption, loss of confidence in the state and the judiciary (court and law enforcement), cases of mob justice, tensions related to the exploitation of natural resources and land grabbing.
Madagascar is the only country in the world where real per capita income fell sharply between 1960 and 2010 without any civil war or violent conflict. 90% of the population earns less than 1$ a day.
Many decades of bad governance are the main cause of these tensions and increasing poverty. In addition, despite the fact that 62% of the population is under 24, youth is excluded of decision-making. They are not listened, they are afraid to express themselves and are often manipulated during elections campaigns.
Today, the same tensions, but also globalization and individualization, are challenging our traditional concept of “fiahavanana”, a concept of peace and brotherly relation that we apply at different level in our daily life. The “fihavanana” promotes social cohesion, dialogue and solidarity in the community. But we tend to forget its value and meaning.
How do you think your work and/or activism contribute to a sustainable peace?
At the National Assembly of Madagascar, I have the chance to work closely on the launching of the first Youth Parliament. This is the best opportunity to raise youth voices and include them in decision-making. Too many frustrations could lead youth to violence so I’m glad to give them a space where they could express and interact with parliamentarians but also learn, share and empower themselves. One of the first projects that we are going to work on is a peace advocacy campaign led by the Youth Parliament at a national level just before our next presidential elections in 2018.
In addition, as a climate activist, I contribute to sustainable peace thanks to awareness projects, trainings and advocacy on SDGs and more particularly on SDG 13. Madagascar is among the most vulnerable country regarding climate change. Regular drought and poverty are already the source of insecurity in the south of the country. The situation could be worst if climate change is not considered in local and national policy development.
Finally, as a founder of a cultural center dedicated to youth empowerment, citizen education and education to sustainable development in my hometown (the Green N Kool Nosy be), I’m committed to share the culture of peace and volunteering among youth of my community.