• Satyarthi urges Youth to hold candle of compassion to seek change in the world at the launch of first-ever Youth Summit on Human Fraternity and Compassion in Viratnagar, Rajasthan

Rajasthan:  Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC) has launched the first-ever Youth Summit on Human Fraternity and Compassion in Rajasthan today with a clarion call to globalise compassion and bring positive changes in the world. The summit, in which over 600 youth leaders from different parts of India and the world are participating, is being held in partnership with the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.

“For the first time in the world, 500-600 youth have gathered under one roof for global compassion,” said Nobel Laureate Mr Kailash Satyarthi. “Compassion has always been talked about but today it has become a need due to fissures within society and fractures in the world. Those who have gathered here today are part of history for this movement of globalising compassion.”

Acknowledging his sentiment, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, stated a need to establish a link between human fraternity and compassion. He said, “No human being is born with enmity, nor with any innate discrimination and hatred. All religions in the world call for compassion.”

Liberia’s 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Leymah Gbowee narrated her own experience and story on compassion when a former child soldier showed her a peaceful and compassionate way to get justice when her village was destroyed.

The inaugural Youth Summit of Human Fraternity and Compassion is a 3-day event, being held at Viratnagar, Rajasthan from September 30th to October 2nd, 2023.

The summit brings together global thought leaders, youth influencers, pioneers of human fraternity, religious leaders, decision-makers, and change agents. In a spirit of engagement, diverse voices will exchange ideas and discuss pathways to heal an increasingly fractured world, guided by the tenets of the Document on Human Fraternity to globalise compassion. 

SMGC is a global movement to ignite ‘Compassion in Action’ in the world. It is born out of four decades of Kailash Satyarthi’s revolutionary life and path-breaking endeavours as a social reformer. SMGC will work to promote compassion in all areas of society, from education to business to government. It will also work to build bridges between different cultures and religions, and to promote peace and understanding around the world.

Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is an independent global award which celebrates individuals and institutions that break down division in society and strengthen human connection. With a monetary prize of USD 1 million, the award is an annual event held on February 4th in conjunction with the UN-recognised International Day of Human Fraternity.