Chandigarh, October 1, 2025 – The second day of the 18th Global Youth Peace Fest (GYPF) 2025 unfolded with inspiring grassroots stories, vibrant cultural showcases, and powerful youth-led dialogues at the Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Sector 42. The day highlighted how young changemakers from around the world are driving peace, health equity, and gender justice. The event is organized by Yuvsatta-NGO, in collaboration with Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society, Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management & Chitkara University.
The morning opened with “Country-Wise Grassroots Stories & Best Practices”, featuring moving testimonies from international leaders including: Padmashri Agus Indra Udayana, Chairman, Ashram Gandhi Puri, Bali, Indonesia, popularly known as the Indonesian Gandhi; Mr. Kalaichelvan P. Dorairaj, Program Officer, International Youth Centre, Malaysia; Dr. Krishna Athal, Executive Director, YUVA, Mauritius; Ms. Haylee Blake, Associate Director of Education, Helen Woodward Animal Center, USA; Ms. Nissi Lyam, Project Coordinator, AFOS (Stiftung) Foundation, Nigeria; Mr. Pramod Sharma, founder, Yuvsatta (youth for peace), India
Their narratives showcased how youth-led initiatives are creating pathways of peace, social justice, and sustainable community transformation across Asia, Africa, and beyond.
Adding colour and vibrancy, the Traditional Fashion Show brought together young participants in attire from across cultures, carrying messages of hope, awareness, and action to end HIV/AIDS by 2030. Chaired by Mr. Sandeep Mittal, Dy. Director (TI), Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society, and Ms. Teenu Khanna, Dy. Director (IEC), the event celebrated cultural diversity as a force for awareness and change.
The day’s highlight was an interactive session on “Youth & SDG 3 – Ending HIV/AIDS by 2030”, chaired by Mr. Fadzil Hadri bin Mohd Nawawi, Special Officer (Strategic), Ministry of Youth & Sports, Malaysia. Together with health experts and education leaders, youth participants co-created a “Way Forward Charter”, putting forward recommendations on prevention, stigma reduction, voluntary testing, and gender-sensitive approaches to HIV response.
In a symbolic gesture of unity and hope, participants later gathered for a Sky Release – floating helium balloons marked with the HIV/AIDS symbol to reinforce their commitment to ending the epidemic by 2030.
The afternoon was dedicated to the global campaign #4BillionRising, an interactive dialogue on SDG 5 – Gender Equality. Chaired by Mr. Ahmed Faris Amir, CEO, Impact Integrated Malaysia, the session featured voices of women leaders including Ms. Juliet Olere Adekoya (Nigeria) and Ms. Jacqueline Kelleher (USA). The dialogue emphasized the urgency of youth demanding and claiming their rights to equality, dignity, and justice.
With 200 youth from over seven countries participating, Day 2 of GYPF 2025 once again reinforced the spirit of global solidarity—driven by young people determined to shape a more peaceful, inclusive, and just world.
This 18th annual Global Youth Peace Fest will conclude tomorrow on International Day of Nonviolence with a Youth2030 Dialogue: Leveraging Youth Power for Transformative Change.
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