Belgrade, Serbia – Liberian child rights activist Abraham Keita has called on activists and civil society organizations around the world to start movements, campaigns or initiatives that seek to resist hate, while redeeming hope and courage in the world.
Making remarks on Thursday during the International Civil Society Week commemorations in Belgrade, Keita cautioned activists and civil society stakeholders to remind steadfast in creating a better world, but bearing in mind that “the forces of evil, the forces of hate, those who do not want change, will always strive to fight against the forces of good, those who are the proponents of change.”
“The world is in turmoil; we have crises and challenges of different kinds: while we are fighting to protect and respect human rights and values, there are those who want to snatch them away; while we want to safe our planet from the life-threatening effects of climate change, there are some who are resisting and undermining our efforts. But they do we have to give up or give in? No! We must fight on because we are on the right side, and in the end, good has always triumphed over evil. So, this battle to make the world a better place is one that we must win. Let us do so by inspiring courage, redeeming hope and restoring love in the midst of our diversity”, he stated.
Young Keita, who rose to the global spotlight in 2015 when he was presented with the International Children’s Peace Prize, has since been advocating for children’s rights and fundamental freedoms in different parts of the world. Addressing a cross section of activists and human rights defenders, civil society organizations and leaders, journalists, and entrepreneurs, the child rights campaigner also noted that every solution to the problems facing communities everywhere in the world has to be home-grown, “designed by the people affected. The people who are affected by the problems are the best agents of change”, as he warned his audience that impact in the work they do could be less or not realized at all if they fail to mobilize locally to bring about change.