Newmai News Network
IMPHAL | September 7
Two from Manipur will be taking part in a year-long global peace march from New Delhi to Geneva to be kicked off from October 2.
Haobijam Surjit and Karam Tania from Imphal will be participating in the global march for justice and peace. The march is christened as Jai Jagat 2020.
The march to mark the 150th birth anniversary will cover 10,000 km passing through 10 countries, said convenor of the Coordination Committee of Jai Jagat 2020, Imphal Rishikanta Aribam.
The two marchers from Manipur are among 200 participants of the march in which 50 people from other countries will be participating, he informed while talking to reporters at Manipur Press Club, Imphal on Saturday.
He explained that the participants will spend 365 days including 121 in India and 244 days outside the country covering 10 countries including Geneva during the programme. During the march, the organisers expected meeting 10,000 people and imparting training in nonviolence in India to around 2500 people. Rishikanta Aribam added that the participants of the march will converge at Geneva on September 26, 2020 where a week-long convention will be held till October 2, 2020. Ten more persons from Manipur will be joining the week-long convention, he said.
Regarding the objectives of the global peace march, Rishikanta Aribam said that the marchers will campaign for the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a dialogue with UN agencies in Geneva.
Four pillars of advocacy related to the SDGs are at the core of the Jai Jagat campaign. Eradication of poverty, social inclusion, climate justice and the nonviolent resolution of conflicts are the four pillars, he added.
Haobijam Surjit, who will be taking part in the march was also present at the press conference. He said that the march will pass through Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Italy and then finally to Switzerland.
The marchers will be travelling the places on foot and by bus, he said and informed the media that he will address the conflict issues of the state more importantly in the convention to be held at the concluding part of the year-long global march.
