The South Asia region, (comprised of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka), continues to be one of the most volatile regions of the world. The negative effects of on-going ethnic conflicts, civil wars, ethnic cleansing, communal and political violence, persecution against minority religious communities especially against Dalits and Indigenous Peoples, terrorism, counter terrorism, religious extremism, militarization, gross and systematic violation of human rights, unresolved inter-state and intra-state conflicts, and subversive economic interests, etc., are visible today more than ever before in the South Asia region. South Asia has become a hotbed of the war on terror and a victim of the strategic interests of major power blocs keeping the region in constant turmoil and uncertainty.
Home to one-fifth of the world’s population, this region is accountable for fifty percent of the world’s illiterate and forty percent of the world’s poor. This poverty-stricken region faces innumerable adversities in terms of securing peace, security and development.
The increasing trend of ethnical intolerance and polarization of caste and identity create havoc in South Asia. Ethnicity has come to be recognized as an important, and in some cases a dominant factor in the search for regional peace and security. Sikhs in the Indian province of Punjab, the Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sindhis in Pakistan, the “stateless” Rohingya community in Myanmar indicates that while ethnic conflict generally arise from domestic sources, it can evolve into a significant foreign policy issue. Caste has been in existence for centuries in South Asia, though its forms and contents vary across the region. Caste is a mode of power, a weapon of action and one of the criteria of making people’s collective identity within groups. Not forgetting that although one of the world’s bloodiest and longest-running civil wars in Sri Lanka is over, it left parts of the island devastated and hundreds of thousands of people displaced and forced to live in camps.
This webinar explores the Opportunities and Challenges for the youth in South Asia to engage in building peace and security at the global, national and local level.
Our panelists Dr. Bal Krishna Sharma from Nepal, Vishal Arora and from India shared their opinions and experiences on the topic from both theological perspective and practical lens. Jianthaolung Gonmeiijoy Idicheriah with the support from Salgo Merin moderated the webinar. Follow the video for more details.
SACYN will be organizing a monthly webinar on the first Saturday of each month starting from August 2020 until the situation gets better. We hope to keep in touch with the youth across South Asia through this online platform. The next webinar will explore on the topic “Towards Inclusive Church: Understanding gender diversities” is scheduled on December 5, 2020 in the following timezones: