The Future is Now: Youth-Led Peace Dialogue with UNESCO in Uruguay

On February 10, during Peace Boat’s port call in Montevideo, more than 70 guests joined us onboard for the “Youth and Leadership for Peace Gathering,” organized in collaboration with UNESCO Montevideo. The event placed young people at the center of dialogue, exchange, and action for peace. Participants included students and young leaders, alongside representatives from Uruguay’s Ministry of Education and Culture, the Municipality of Montevideo and its Human Rights Division, and UNESCO Montevideo.

A central and deeply moving moment of the visit was the guided tour of the exhibition “A Message to Humanity.” The exhibition, an outreach edition of the original at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, shares the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and highlights the work of Nihon Hidankyo, the organization of atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) who were awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. Through powerful testimonies and historical documentation, the exhibition connects memory with responsibility, reminding us of the human cost of nuclear weapons and the urgent need to carry forward survivors’ voices as a commitment to future generations.

The program started with opening remarks delivered by Peace Boat, Andrea Vignolo (Director of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay), Margarita Thove (Municipality of Montevideo, Human Rights Division, Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Youth) and Gisselle Burbano (Head of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO Montevideo), whose presence underscored the importance of institutional support for youth participation and peacebuilding.

The next powerful moment in the program itself featured the voices of youth themselves. Juan Cristiani, part of UNESCO’s Youth for Peace initiative, and Hisada Aya, a Peace Boat participant currently travelling on the 122nd Global Voyage, shared their personal journeys of transformation and their commitment to building more just and peaceful societies. Their reflections embodied the spirit of the dialogue and gathering: that young people are not only beneficiaries of peace processes, but active leaders shaping them in many creative and active ways.

In a world with the largest youth generation in history, the message from Montevideo was clear: young people are not waiting for the future, they are building it today. Peace Boat remains committed to creating spaces where memory, dialogue, and youth leadership come together to advance a culture of peace across borders and generations.