I am Rashad Umbayev – a junior student of Baku State University , majoring in History & Political science. I am currently the member of the Azerbaijani Youth Parliament . As for now, I am a project manager at Peacebuilding through Capacity Enhancement and Civic Engagement (PeaCE) programme in Azerbaijan. Previously, I worked in prestigious international organizations, including the EU, UNDP, OSCE and other major organizations. As a political and civil society activist , I am also an active member of many local and international non-governmental organizations, human rights organizations, youth networks and other similar organizations.

There is a popular question that almost all of us hear during our life: “Which 3 values are the most important ones for you and makes you individually you?”. From my perspective, answer to this question is the principles of freedom, empathy and justice. Positive peace can only be achieved in the society where all of these 3 values exist.

Moreover, I genuinely believe that making our world more peaceful and harmonious place is achievable, of course, if we truly want it, if we work tirelessly for it, if we sacrifice our lives for it. Maybe, it’s hard to make the world more livable, I understand that, but there’s a phrase in my country, “dama dama göl olar,” which means every little step contributes to making big change. Therefore, I have been fighting for those values, for peace since I realized who I am. Now, it is your turn. Stop complaining, take an action! Make a change!