Students, NGO managers and researchers gathered at the youth leadership summit for peace and development themed “Mankind is a Family – New View on Peace in the XXI Century” held on March 21, Info-Prim Neo reports. The participants spoke about globalization, regional integration and emigration of young intellectuals. Mihai Calestru, executive director of the International Association for Education of Moldova, stressed the importance of efficient policies for the youth. “We must be preoccupied with the fate of the young people and offer them new opportunities because their ideas are extremely valuable to the country’s future. At the same time, Mihai Calestru urged the young people to make also volunteer not only paid work. Marina Buciceanu, Doctor of Science at the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, said in a report that one of the problems faced by the young generation is migration, which can be stopped by carrying out efficient youth policies. “Moldova is the youngest country in Europe because the young persons make up 27% of its population. At the same time, 49% of the Moldovan emigrants are young persons. The loss of the labor force is a great danger,” Marina Buciceanu said. According to her, the sociological surveys show that the young people want not only advice from the community, but also assistance in finding employment. Maria Dontu, a student of the State University in Tiraspol, spoke about the importance of globalization. “The people tend to the unification of their interests so as to promote the common good. When we live in a united family, such negative phenomena as migration and crossborder crime will disappear.” “Despite the current challenges, I’m convinced that the universal appeal to create a family of mankind confirms the fact that we live in a period when we can make a significant change only if we understand the causes of our major problems,” said the special invitee of the summit Katsumi Ohtsuka, chairman of the Universal Peace Federation of Eurasia. The youth leadership summit for peace and development forms part of the activities of the Global Peace Fund. The event was organized by the Philanthropic Association IRFF-ONLUS, the Moldova Office of the International Foundation for Education of Armenia and the International Foundation for Education of Moldova.