The panel comprised of the Minister of Youth and Sports of Nepal Mr. Purusottam Paudel, the International Secretariat and Outreach Coordinator of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders Ms. Matilda Flemming and the Executive Director of Sri Lanka’s Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies Mr. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera.

Starting the discussion, Ms. Flemming expressed her viewpoint that to realize peace in a country there should be an “accountable government as well as a strong opposition.”

“We need a strong policy framework to facilitate peace building and peace in the post-2015 agenda,” Ms. Flemming said, emphasizing the importance of respecting each other as the lowest level of peace building.

Minster Paudel’s speech was mainly focused on the process of peace and reconciliation of Nepal.

“When the Monarchy was overthrown in a decade-long civil war involving the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and mass protests by all major political parties led to the establishment of the democratic republic in 2008,” Mr. Paudel said. He also stressed the importance of active participation of youth in the peace building process.

In Mr. Abeyagoonasekera’s speech, he discussed the peace building process of Sri Lanka during which he emotionally mentioned that he is also a victim of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as his father was killed in an attack by the LTTE. He mentioned that reconciliation is fruitful when forgiveness is there.

“In our reconciliation process, it is important for us to get the positive engagement of the Tamil Diaspora,” he further expressed.