A journey to peace starts with inclusiveness | CD Voice

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When I heard Hyppolite Ntigurirwa talked about his journey to forgive those who murdered his father in front of him in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, I was moved to tears. 

He was speaking at the One Young World summit in Bogota this month. I looked around me. Many of my fellow delegates were also wiping away tears while others looked into the distance in deep contemplation, greatly touched and inspired by this incredible story of peace and reconciliation.

One Young World, a London-based non-profit organization that gathers young people to share thoughts on global issues, held its annual summit in Colombia, a country trying to put itself back together after a gruesome 52-year civil war. The war ended with the signing of a peace deal last year between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and rebel leader Rodrigo Londono, also known as Timochenko.

The summit placed a special emphasis on peace this year. We heard young people share their stories of reconciliation. As victims of war and violence, they had felt angry and hurt but now they are holding hands with their past enemies. As Ntigurirwa said: "I believe peace is what you give, not what you ask others to give you."

Over the past few years the world has undergone so many challenges and conflicts, ranging from the Syrian War to the European refugee crisis, the Occupy Wall Street movement and scores of terrorist attacks.

The world suddenly felt angrier, less harmonious and full of pain and tears.

But being at One Young World and hearing directly from victims who turn themselves into agents of change, I felt there is more hope, trust and power to create a loving world as globalization further bonds people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Perhaps the incredible friendships I've experienced with other delegates, from 196 countries, is a snapshot of this world peace. More incredibly, I discovered that fostering harmony and inclusion takes place not just in countries facing post-war reconciliation, it takes place in all our lives, in the workplace and in society.

At the summit, we heard from multinational corporations such as Accenture and Apple on their efforts to encourage diversity and inclusion in their companies.

"Diversity is the human experience. I get a little frustrated when diversity or the term diversity is tagged to the people of color, or the women, or the LGBT," said Denise Young Smith, Apple's vice-president of inclusion and diversity.

I couldn't agree with her more. As a Chinese woman living in London I have always felt grateful for how the cultural melting pot of London has given me a home, where I could fit in and be myself. 

But what surprised me at the conference is that many people whom I have always considered "mainstream" could also feel excluded due to their unique differences, such as the working mom or the quiet colleague.

And perhaps it is time for me to open up to them more, to share and to support them, so that our societies will truly become more harmonious places. As Accenture's chief leadership & human resources officer Ellyn Shook said: "The journey starts with I."

About the author & broadcaster

Cecily Liu is a London correspondent for China Daily, covering mainly financial news. She was born in Chengdu, grew up in New Zealand, and graduated from University College London with a BA in English Literature. 

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