Millennials From War-Stricken Countries More Optimistic Than Well-Off Peers - ICRC

Millennials From War-Stricken Countries More Optimistic Than Well-Off Peers - ICRC

Millennials residing in war-torn countries have a more optimistic outlook on things than their peers from industrialized countries, Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Sputnik

DAVOS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2020) Millennials residing in war-torn countries have a more optimistic outlook on things than their peers from industrialized countries, Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Sputnik.

Earlier in the month, the ICRC released a report gauging the attitudes of millennials toward armed conflicts.

"Interestingly, the most optimistic millennials are in Ukraine and Syria. When you ask them how do you see the future, they see a better future. And the most pessimistic are the most well-off millennials in the industrialized societies, like the US, Switzerland and so on," he said in an interview.

The ICRC president noted a difference in priorities between millennials from peaceful countries and those gripped by conflicts.

"Global warming is a concern of millennials outside of conflict. Respect for international law, humanitarian law is a concern for millennials inside conflict," he stated.

Maurer noted the need to make sure the younger generation understands the importance of normative systems like international humanitarian law.

"I think it's important to get to action out of this and to recognize that what has been a declared self-evidence for the previous generation is no longer such an evidence. So, we have to re-explain to the next generations what these normative systems mean," he said.

Overall, the report issued by the ICRC says that millennials across the globe are anxious about the future, citing corruption, unemployment, and poverty as their top concerns.