The World Assembly of Youth Hail Zimbabwe's Land Reform

[Im The Truth]

World Youth Hail Zimbabwe's Land Reform


Monday, 20 September 2004

World youths hail Zim’s land reform

Herald Reporter

YOUTHS from around the world have praised Zimbabwe’s land
redistribution programme which saw the Government addressing
the skewed land ownership which condemned the black majority
to poverty.

The World Assembly of Youth (WAY) commended President Mugabe
for dealing decisively with the critical human rights issue
of land redistribution.

WAY is the international co-ordinating body of national youth
councils in more than 110 countries worldwide.

It was founded in August 1949.

"We would like to draw attention to the fact that President
Mugabe has addressed the fundamental issue of land
distribution in Zimbabwe, creating a more equitable system of
land ownership.

"More than 90 percent of the land in Zimbabwe was in the
hands of less than 10 percent of the population, mostly
whites who derived this land from colonial plunder that began
in 1890," said WAY in a statement released last week.

The organisation said President Mugabe is a hero to the
majority of the African population because of his unwavering
stance on the liberation of the country and his championing
of the African struggle for economic and social justice.

Cde Mugabe has received many commendations from international
youths and students’ movements.

Among the notable events where he was commended were the
World Youth and Students Festival in 2002 and the Melaka
International Youth Dialogue held in Malaysia in 2003.

President Mugabe’s stance on land has also received backing
from such international organisations as the African Union,
Southern African Development Community, the Non-Aligned
Movement and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states.

WAY condemned the International Union of Students (IUS) for
calling for the excommunication of President Mugabe from the
Catholic Church.

It said it was surprising to note that the IUS had issued a
letter to the Catholic Church headquarters at the Vatican
which was not in line with the view of the majority of the
world’s youths.

WAY said the IUS letter showed gross ignorance and calculated
malice and misrepresentation, which confirmed the overbearing
influence of pro-Western elements in the formulation of the
letter in question.

The world youths body alleged that the IUS had close links
with the MDC; and that it was no secret that the MDC was
funded by the British government which was against land
redistribution in Zimba- bwe.

It said those who needed a balanced view on Zimbabwe should
interview fair-minded Zimbabweans.

WAY said religious leaders should desist from engaging in
politics of hatred and aggression as this devalues moral
standards of society.

The attempt by IUS to have President Mugabe excommunicated
from the Catholic Church is seen as part of the West’s
campaign to vilify him and the Government for embarking on
land reforms to redress colonial imbalances in the ownership
of land.

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[Im The Truth]

World Assembly Youth
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Organization Details
Address:
Bandar Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur
56000
Malaysia

Categorization(s):
Leadership
Children & Youth
Social Justice & Human Rights
Religion & Spirituality

This organization:
» Has Global Reach
» Is Youth-led

Vision/Mission
The World Assembly of Youth (WAY) is the international coordinating body of national youth councils and organisations. The full members of WAY are national youth councils. WAY has 94 member organizations from all continents.



What do they do?
The World Assembly of Youth recognises the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the basis of its action and services. WAY promotes the work of youth organisations in areas such as: democracy, environment, human rights, population, health, drugs, community development, leadership training, and cultural and religious tolerance. It provides opportunities for youth representatives from different countries to exchange ideas and experiences, to coordinate program plans, and to reach a better understanding of each others' problems due to differences in racial, religious and national origins.

WAY recognises the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the basis of its action and services. WAY works for the promotion of youth and youth organizations in programme areas such as: democracy, environment, human rights, population, health, drugs, community development and leadership training.