The Dalai Lama said yesterday that areas of conflict in the Middle East and in Africa could learn from the Northern Ireland peace process.
On the second day of his visit to Derry, where he addressed more than 1,000 young people in the city's Millennium Forum, the 14th Dalai Lama said a lot of progress had been made in Northern Ireland since his last visit there two years ago.
"Since then there is a new government of different parties who were previously fighting each other. Now they are sharing common responsibilities and that is a wonderful development.
"In my last visit I met families of the victims of violence. Then the atmosphere in 2005 was very tense and people had no smiles. Today there are smiles, not everybody, but there is a big difference today. People are more peaceful minded. That is very very positive and very good. In 2005, my heart felt empty after visiting here but now, like the people of Northern Ireland, I have more peace in my heart.
"Because of the conflict there between Catholics and Protestants, I have told Muslims and Hindus and Sunnis how people here are now working together. Northern Ireland is a good example of the spirit of reconciliation," he said.
The Dalai Lama, who was in Derry at the invitation of Richard Moore, director of the locally based Children In Crossfire charity, has been an exile from his native Tibet since 1959. The country, which is under the control of China, has a population of six million people and the Dalai Lama is one of 120,000 Tibetan exiles. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, he told the youth conference that he believed this century would be the most important in history.
"In the last century millions of people were killed through violence and civil war. Millions of other people suffered. We should use our past experiences to make this century the century of peace.
"We now have a spirit of dialogue. Problems are bound to happen but we need the appropriate method to solve problems and that is through dialogue, not through violence. You young people should create a new shift on the planet.
"Problems from my generation still remain and now the younger people must handle that. Become more realistic and have more optimistic attitudes rather than unrealistic high expectations. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and you become realistic," he said.