KATHMANDU, APRIL 10
Argenis Angulo, a world president of Junior Chamber International commonly known as JCI, who is on an official visit to Nepal representing the world's biggest young leaders' organisations, said among the many goals he was lobbying for was the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Duties from the United Nations.
JCI, the biggest enterprise of young leaders' organisations around the world, operates with 5,000 communities through its over 160,000 members in 105 countries.
The JCI specifically promotes leadership among its members that has four major areas of opportunism: business, community, individual, and internationalism.
"Apart from my regular duties and inspiration to motivate more youths towards leadership and other benefits from JCI, I am motivated towards proposing the Universal Declaration of Human Duties at the UN and ratifying it," Angulo said. He is of the opinion that while it is important to recognise the Human Rights of general people, time has now arrived for capable people to realise their duties towards the betterment of society and humankind.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified by the UN after the end of World War II to ensure that every individual enjoys basic rights. "The time has changed now," Angulo opined, adding that it was absolutely crucial to maintain balance between rights and duties.
"We want to prepare this generation not just to worry about their rights, which though absolutely important, they ought also to be aware of their duties towards humanity.
We understand that we need to maintain balance between rights and duties. In that sense, the Universal Declaration of Human Duties will specifically ensure that new generations are more responsible towards not only asking for rights from third parties, but also assuming one's duty as part of their lives."
JCI allows its membership only to youths aged between 18 to 40 years, hence the organisation has become one of the most motivated youth organisations that works on the Economic and Social Council of the UN to meet one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be fulfilled by all UN member countries by 2030.
JCI has a history of over 100 years. It has produced a number of world leaders, including US presidents John F Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon. JCI encourages youths to develop leadership in every sector, including politics.
Angulo also met Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and discussed measures to combine the youth's enthusiasm and senior citizens experience for a better future.
"The senate of the JCI also comprises senior people who retire after completing 40 years of age. But, it is due to their guidance and support that the youth leaders have been on the right track for such a long time."
People who wish to join the JCI can first be a member of a local community.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 11, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
