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Youth Has a Key Role in Peace Processes

More than 400 million young people, between the age of 15 and 29, live in fragile and conflict-affected contexts across the globe. This means that more than 400 million young people experience violence, face exploitation, miss out on education, and struggle to survive.

Amidst such challenges, young people have shown that they are able to play an active role , particularly at grassroots and local levels, as peacemakers, mediators, and peacebuilders. They:

• build social cohesion and trust across different groups; 
• open channels and spaces for youth from across diverse backgrounds to work together and build a shared vision of a peaceful world; 
• advocate for human rights and against violence in any form;
• support reintegration of young ex-combatants and the healing of multiple traumas of affected communities;
• strengthen capacities and skills of their peers; and
• advocate for youth and gender-inclusive peace negotiations and processes.

Yet, young people continue to face significant barriers to inclusion, support, and acknowledgment in peace processes. This limits their ability to play a meaningful role in shaping efforts to promote the cessation of or prevent a return to, violent conflict, as well as to contribute to building lasting peace in their contexts.

The potential for youth to contribute to peace-making and peacebuilding was recognised with the adoption of Resolution 2250 by the United Nations Security Council in 2015. As one of the five pillars of the UN’s Youth, Peace and Security ( YPS ) agenda, this included a commitment to ensuring the participation of young people in conflict prevention and resolution, violence prevention, and the promotion of social cohesion.

Seizing the occasion of the 1 st anniversary of the latest YPS Resolution (Resolution 2535), which was adopted in July 2020, our aim in this article is to explore the challenges that young people continue to face in their work towards peace and what can be done to support their important contribution to peace processes. We do so by drawing on the findings of a project, Youth-Led Peace , we carried out at the University of Glasgow during 2020-21. For a more detailed account of our findings, see our new report on the role of youth in peace processes.

The objectives of the Youth-Led Peace project were to

• examine the barriers to and strategies for youth inclusion in official peace processes;
• take stock of the YPS agenda;
• investigate and emphasise the significance of youth leadership as peacemakers, mediators, and peacebuilders at grassroots and local levels; and
• explore pathways for promoting and investing in youth leadership in peace processes through meaningful partnerships, capacity building, and protection.

The project involved consultations with representatives of eight youth-led organisations from Afghanistan, Kenya, Liberia, the Philippines, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Turkey, as well as a knowledge exchange workshop that brought together representatives from the UN, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, conflict resolution organisations, and youth-led peacebuilding organisations. Together, we examined the impact of the YPS on the ground to date and how it can be further advanced in the future to promote and support youth inclusive peace processes .

In what follows, we outline the key challenges to youth’s meaningful contribution to the peace processes and recommendations for moving forward which emerged from the project. 

Challenges to youth contribution to peace processes

The challenges facing youth in peace processes may be summarized as follows:

• Young people are often excluded because of a perceived lack of experience and qualifications . Their practical and lived experience in conflict areas and within their communities is not sufficiently taken into account. While young people are eager to have access to more capacity-building opportunities, their exclusion from peace processes prevents us from benefiting from their unique skills and capabilities, supporting their capacity development, and shaping peace processes based on youth’s lived experiences and grassroots-level insights.
• They rarely have access to a sustainable flow of funds that would support their work on the ground without any interruptions. Their access to funding is limited due to the complexity of the bureaucratic systems that are difficult to navigate for youth organisations and the misgivings about the ability of young people to manage financial resources.  Lack of funding prevents youth from reaching out and engaging with other young people, especially of more marginalised communities, as well as limiting their ability to establish equal partnerships with other organisations.
• Young people continue to be stereotyped as troublemakers hence the local resistance in some societies to treat them as agents of change. This is particularly strong in hierarchical societies where the elders dominate decision-making and leadership positions that do not give space to youth voices and contributions. 
• Inclusive peace-building and peace-making may not be seen as local priorities – especially in light of some more pressing economic concerns, and young people speaking about peace may appear to be too foreign and even too western to local communities that reject outside interventions.  
• Broader circumstances and conditions many young people live in hinder their leadership and participation in peace processes. For example, living in poverty and having limited access to vital social and physical infrastructure necessarily shifts the priorities of some young people from peacebuilding towards securing livelihoods.
• Young people are under-represented in political structures at all levels and in official peace processes where decisions that shape their world are made. Even where youth are included in official peace processes, not all young people are represented. Y oung people from poor, rural, and minority and marginalised political backgrounds are even more excluded from decision-making in peace processes. 
• Despite living in unsafe environments, young people rarely have access to protection from actors that may target them for their work and beliefs or access to psychosocial support to help them deal with and heal from traumas caused by conflict and violence.

Recommendations for moving forward

While the international and national youth, peace, ad security agendas have supported progress in youth inclusion in peace processes, much work remains to be done to address the challenges we outline above and to fully acknowledge youth as agents of change. Our key recommendations to move forward towards more inclusive peace processes include:

• Develop equal partnerships with youth organisations to support youth-led and youth-owned peace initiatives as well as representation of young people in decision-making processes at all levels.
• Set up and support platforms for youth to represent their voices and experiences and to partner with each other to work towards peace together. 
• Create safe online and face-to-face spaces for youth to work together , learn from each other, and receive support and training from peers and more senior experts. This should include access to mental health support to help them deal with any trauma they may have.
• Ensure a sustained provision of funds, technical resources, and guidance to support youth-led peace initiatives of different types.
• Facilitate youth’s capacity building relevant to their individual and contextual needs to ensure they can design, initiate, and complete successful peace initiatives and confidently participate in peace processes.
• Incorporate diverse and intersecting backgrounds and needs of young people in research, policy, and programming to ensure that support is targeted to address and redress relevant issues. Additionally, develop a research agenda around the role of youth in peace processes where youth’s agency and voices are placed at the centre.
• Support the change in the mindset of authorities and gatekeepers to alter their perception and treatment of young people. Strengthen capacities of these actors so that critical international policies are operationalised internationally, nationally and locally to support local populations.
• Let youth voices be heard on their own terms , without expecting them to subscribe to the predetermined aims of a peace process, or of (liberal) peacebuilding in general.
• Address the different forms of disadvantage, exclusion, and marginalisation young people face, including poverty, unsafe environments, poor healthcare and education, among others.

The recommendations that have emerged from our project require a drastic change in mindset from many people within local, national and international spheres, especially persons in authority. It is worth noting that several of the recommendations actually apply to the inclusion of many underrepresented groups in peace processes and are not specific to youth, such as women, Indigenous peoples, minorities, refugees and internally displaced people. 

However, the tendency to ignore youth and to consider the younger generations as prone to violence and radicalisation has presented unique challenges to youth inclusivity in peace processes and requires tailored pathways for change. By not investing sufficiently in young people’s agency in peace processes and beyond, the world is missing out on a significant ‘ peace dividend’ .

Related articles: 

Meeting in the Middle to Build Peace: Local and International Approaches to Youth Participation in Peacebuilding

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Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com.  — In the featured image : Young people joining hands together in cooperation. Credit :  vasara .

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Dr Yulia Nesterova is a Research Associate in Education and International Development at the University of Glasgow, where she is also leading a British academy-funded project that explores local, community-driven peacebuilding in conflict and post-conflict zones. ----- Dr Asli Ozcelik is a Postdoctoral Researcher in International Law at the University of Glasgow, where she is also the Academic Coordinator of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security.

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Role of Youths in Peace Building

Four mechanisms – preventive diplomacy, peace-making, peace-keeping, and peace-building are widely being applied in conflicting zones all across the world with an eye to ensure global peace. Every peace process is inclusive and hence demands the active involvement of the people of all classes, ages, genders, ethnicities and nationalities. But, it is important to note that the engagement of youths not only in peace-building but also in every social, cultural, and political movement is very important in this sense that the youths are the agents of change. They are viewed as change-makers. They have the power to establish a culture of peace instead of a culture of violence. This paper is an attempt to analyze as to what peace-building is, and what roles the youths can play in peace-building in both regional and global level.

Related Papers

Celina Del Felice

Around the world many young people are victims of cultural, direct, and structural violence and become carriers of that violence or perpetration. There is a strong tendency among politicians and researchers to see youth as a problem to be solved. However, many youth are peaceful and peace-builders. Equally affected by various forms of violence, they decide to act constructively towards building a culture of peace. Youth are underestimated as positive agents of change and key actors in peace-building, both by policy-makers and academics. This paper explores the role of youth as peace-builders, illustrating their unique power and potential to affect social change through a number of examples.

HUMANUS DISCOURSE

Humanus Discourse

The current total population of the world today is 7.837 billion and 1.2 billion from the age of 15-24 years of age are youth. Considering this number, youth are vulnerable to conflict either directly or indirectly. The study has also shown that when it comes to conflict resolution youth are most time marginalized. This paper aims to prove that the inclusion of youth in peacebuilding would reduce conflict and promote peaceful coexistence. Furthermore, the demographic argument in this paper is probably one of the most compelling reasons for recognising the role of youth in peacebuilding and building peace. Therefore, UN Resolution 2250 in December 2015, is significant because it finally puts youth at the centre of progressions of peacebuilding and policies for the sustainable progress of peace and security. This paper is unique because it points out the unprecedented resolution for different reasons. First, it is the first time that the UNSC has adopted a thematic resolution dealing comprehensively with youth in issues related to peace and security. Second, UNSC recognises young people's role in promoting peace, transforming conflicts, and preventing violence. In this resolution, youth are not considered only as a group to be protected, nor as a group to be protected from, but are rather considered as actors for positive change in their communities, recognizing their role as catalysts for peace and actors in preventing violence. The paper recommends that the resolution demands to give voice to young people in peace processes, urging governments, private and public entities, and civil society and institutions-including UN agencies to provide both the tools and the necessary funding to transform the text into real policies and specific projects. Finally, the paper adopts descriptive and content analysis pedagogy.

Science For All Publications

Mohammed Saaida

Peace building is an essential aspect of sustainable development, and youth play a crucial role in this process. As the future leaders and changemakers, young people have the potential to drive positive transformation in their communities and promote lasting peace. This article will explore the role of youth in peace building and discuss how they can contribute to sustainable development.

Global Policy Paper Youth Participation in Peace Processes

United Nations Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth

Irena Grizelj

Young people today often constitute the majority population in countries with ongoing peace processes. This is the first global policy paper to document and analyze where and how young people engage with peace processes, and begins to highlight why youth inclusion matters for the prevention of violence and achieving sustainable peace agreements. Across the world, young people are actively working to build peace and prevent violence. Over 1,000 peace agreements have been signed globally in the last two decades. While broader inclusion has shown to positively impact the sustainability of peace agreements, no comprehensive studies have assessed the role and impact of young people during, and in the lead up to, these peace agreements. Peace negotiations remain central to decision-making in a peace process, yet it is a key phase during which young people continue to be politically marginalized, excluded, and undervalued. The paper assesses youth participation and inclusion in peace processes from young people’s own point of view, through three integrated but non-hierarchical layers: in the room, around the room and outside the room of formal peace negotiations.

Student Partnerships Worldwide (SPW)

Thomas Waldman

As Student Partnerships Worldwide (SPW) expands its operations into regions recovering from violent conflict – such as Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Nepal – it is imperative that staff and volunteers have a general understanding of current thinking and research on conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and theories of change, particularly as these issues relate to youth and conflict. This document is intended purely as an introductory overview and seeks to situate SPW’s work within the wider realm of conflict resolution so that SPW staff can understand better how their work fits into the bigger picture of peacebuilding, both practically on the ground and at a theoretical level. This document should not be considered a comprehensive guide to conflict resolution. Rather, it points towards some of the major issues engaging scholars and practitioners in the field and aims to help SPW staff new to the subject get to grips with the (often confusing) terminology used in contemporary conflict resolution. It also outlines some of the approaches other major international intergovernmental organisations, agencies, and NGOs have adopted with respect to peacebuilding, both at policy and programmatic levels.

What is it? This document lists 53 selected resources (book chapters, reports, academic journal articles and MA and PhD theses) published between 2000 and 2016 on the link between youth, youth organizations and peacebuilding​. It is mostly focused on studies that describe, analyse and/or demonstrate the ​positive and constructive roles of youth as peacebuilders​. The texts come from a variety of disciplines, using diverse methodologies and with different levels of depth and quality analysis.

In Factis Pax. Journal of Peace Education and Social Justice

marloes van houten

Michael McGill , drew dunbrack , Christina Voigt Leblanc , Danijela Radic , Henk-Jan Brinkman , Matthew Scott

The primary objective of this Practice Note is to inform policymakers and donors of key strategic and programming considerations for supporting young people’s participation to peacebuilding. Specifically, this note has been developed to: • offer evidence-based, promising practices in youth peacebuilding in the field; • advance the understanding of donors and policy-makers of complex and often interconnected policy and programme considerations for more holistic support to youth peacebuilding interventions, and; • enhance the effectiveness of policies and funding strategies of bilateral and multilateral donors and agencies supporting youth peacebuilding interventions. This Practice Note summarizes the situation of youth in conflict-affected environments, argues the importance of investing in youth and peacebuilding, addresses existing assumptions and theories of change regarding youth and peacebuilding, and overviews key issues and highlights a variety of promising practices in different sectors and thematic areas. The development of this Practice Note was a collaborative effort led by the IANYD Working Group on Youth and Peacebuilding, which includes 40 partner organizations primarily from civil society and the United Nations.

Siobhan McEvoy-Levy

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From Recognition to Action: UN Affirms Vital Role of Youth in Peacebuilding

A new Security Council Resolution emphasizes the importance of meaningfully including youth voices in peace processes.

By: Kessy Martine Ekomo-Soignet;   Rebecca Ebenezer-Abiola

When violent conflict erupts, young people are often among the most impacted. Indeed, globally, one in four youth are affected by conflict and violence. But their voices are frequently among the most marginalized in efforts to prevent or resolve conflict. Young men are regularly depicted as the perpetrators of violence and young women are portrayed as victims. This narrative severely discounts the important role young people play in building peace. Research shows that peace processes are more successful when they are inclusive and in many conflict-ridden societies youth account for a large percentage of the population, making their participation all the more vital. A new United Nations Security Council resolution passed in July aims to enshrine the critical role of youth in building peace.

From the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to long-unresolved conflicts to climate change, young people often have the most at stake. “They [youth] are the ones who have to live with the consequences of our action or lack of our action,” said Francisco Cortorreal , the Dominican Republic’s representative at the U.N., during discussions on resolution 2535.

“Young people around the world are actively transforming conflict and building peace in their communities, many times putting themselves in danger while doing this work,” said Alison Milofsky, who oversees USIP’s youth portfolio. “However, their work often lacks recognition and support. The adoption of resolution 2535, like previous resolutions on youth, peace, and security, moves us further toward acknowledging and supporting the critical contributions made by young people.”

A Turning Point for Youth

United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2535 is the third resolution on youth, peace and security. Passed in 2015, resolution 2250 called for international recognition of the role that youth play in building peace at the local and national levels. Subsequently, 2018’s Resolution 2419 stressed the importance of protecting young people working for peace on the ground and, above all, ensuring their participation at the negotiating table. These are the building blocks upon which the new resolution was built. But this time the U.N. Security Council consulted with youth peacebuilders to provide input on the resolution, demonstrating a significant shift: from the recognition of youth’s important role in peacebuilding to including them as direct, active participants.

This represents a turning point for young people, whose voices are being heard at the highest levels of international diplomacy. Indeed, one of these authors (Ekomo-Soignet) and the organization she founded in the Central African Republic (CAR)—called URU—provided direct input on the resolution as part of the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security (GCYPS). URU, which means “take off,” is a youth-led peacebuilding organization that champions the voices of young people in CAR and works to ensure their inclusion in peace processes. While its daily work focuses on promoting locally led approaches for youth to build peace, URU has brought the voice of CAR’s youth beyond its borders through its work on UNSCR 2535.

Prioritizing Youth Issues

GCYPS recommendations included in the resolution were the call for proactive inclusion of marginalized groups and regular reporting from the secretary-general on progress regarding implementation of the youth, peace, and security agenda. The reporting system enshrined in UNSCR 2535 ensures that youth issues are no longer seen as a cross-cutting issue within U.N. agencies and missions. The lack of a consistent focus on youth issues has often led to U.N. missions making young people a secondary priority or integrating them into other issues, such as countering violent extremism or the women, peace and security agenda. Young people have advocated for a more structured approach to youth engagement with U.N missions. As one example, a youth coordinator or focal point at each U.N. mission could ensure youth issues are properly prioritized in their own right. UNSCR 2535 also takes the significant step of stipulating that the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth should be responsible for promoting coordination and coherence of youth, peace and security activities across the U.N. system, and for tracking implementation of the resolutions 2250, 2419 and 2535.

Russia and China have previously opposed the inclusion of youth issues at UNSC deliberations. Resolution 2535, however, was passed with unanimous support, demonstrating that the international community is reaching a consensus on the vital role of youth. For too long, youth have been marginalized in international peace efforts, often used as props for photo ops. But resolution 2535 demonstrates that the international community increasingly realizes that youth’s meaningful participation is a necessary component of building lasting peace.

“Resolution 2535 represents a seminal achievement for youth peacebuilders and practitioners, and a crucial endorsement of the fact, backed by a growing body of evidence from across the world, that youth are critical to building and sustaining peace,” said Tyler Beckelman, director of international partnerships at the Institute.

UNSCR 2535 opens a new era for young peacebuilders—but there is still more work to be done. Young peacebuilders need enhanced capacity to conduct research and report on best practices for youth inclusion in conflict mitigation efforts. With three resolutions now passed, there is a need to push for the effective implementation at the country and local-government levels.

“The potential for humanity to create a peaceful, prosperous future will not be reached as long as inequities and discrimination against youth remain commonplace, and young people lack opportunities to have their voices heard,” said Tijjani Muhammad-Bande , the president of the U.N. General Assembly. Resolution 2535 provides a framework to ensure youth voices are not just included in peace talks, but incorporated into the ways in which peace is built and sustained.

Rebecca Ebenezer-Abiola is a program officer for youth programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Kessy Martine Ekomo-Soignet is a USIP Generation Change fellow and founder of the youth peacebuilding organization URU.

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Leveraging the power of youth for a better peace.

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix

Over the past year, to be a United Nations peacekeeper in the field has meant adopting new levels of flexibility and resilience in the face of evolving challenges. A hard job has become even harder.

As this global pandemic wreaks havoc, tens of thousands of women and men serving in the 12 peacekeeping missions deployed around the world have adapted to the new reality, taking every precaution to stay safe themselves and prevent the spread of the virus, while continuing to support national and local responses and deliver on lifesaving work. Despite the unprecedented challenge of Covid-19, the work of UN peacekeeping continues.

In the context of our various missions, we have witnessed a remarkable partnership between peacekeepers -- military, police and civilians -- and the local communities they serve, including and, in particular, when it comes to collaboration with the youth.

In many of our host countries, young people are uniting as a positive force to respond to emerging challenges.

As we mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 29 May, we are placing our focus on the power of youth. The writing on the wall is clear: for youth to actively contribute to building peace, their needs must be addressed, their participation encouraged, their voices amplified, and their engagement advanced.

UN Peacekeeping has long recognized the value of collaborating with youth as an essential demographic in host countries. In conflict areas, they possess invaluable knowledge about their communities and are often agents of change.

Peacekeepers across our operations help young people acquire skills and tools to participate in decision-making processes by extending training and other forms of support, and by sensitizing authorities on the importance of engaging youth meaningfully and comprehensively.

In places like Cyprus, we are supporting intercommunal cooperation among youth as well as empowering them to implement their own environmental campaigns.

In the Central African Republic and in Mali, our missions have established mechanisms that enable young people to contribute to the development of security strategies. Efforts have also focused on working closely with youth representatives to increase voter turnout in recent elections in both countries.

In South Sudan, the inclusion of youth groups in peace processes has helped strengthen relations between subnational and national actors. The UN peacekeeping mission in the country, UNMISS, works closely with the government and other partners to facilitate peace forums that provide youth with opportunities to participate in political and peace processes.

In the midst of persistent conflict in eastern DRC, the UN mission, MONUSCO, is working with youth vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups, helping to provide them with viable and sustainable alternatives to violence.

At the same time, peacekeepers are addressing disinformation campaigns susceptible to political manipulation, that seek to exploit youth in nefarious ways, and to the detriment of those invested in building a brighter future.  This may not be the traditional work of a peacekeeping mission, but we have found that it is an investment that pays for itself many times over.

This progress simply could not be achieved without a majority of our extraordinary workforce: young UN peacekeepers. They inject energy and enthusiasm into their work. They innovate, help lift overall performance, and serve as role models to other young people. In fact, promoting the participation of youth, both, as the core of peacekeeping and within the societies in which they serve, is a key aspect of our overall approach.

Our young peacekeepers are inspired to serve under the blue flag for many reasons, and are recruited as civilian personnel from our UN’s careers website or join our ranks as uniformed personnel through their own national armed forces or police forces. Some want new experiences and life lessons, while others are motivated by the potential they see in the UN to help promote peace and security. 

Peacekeeping is made up of these remarkable young people. People like Nanah Kamara from Sierra Leone -- a country that once hosted one of the world’s largest peacekeeping missions -- who serves in South Sudan as a UN Police officer and contributes to strengthening rule of law by training national police officers. Or 28-year-old Lieutenant Eric Manzi, a Rwandan mechanized troop officer, who helps maintain armored vehicles in the Central African Republic, so that peacekeepers can safely conduct protection of civilians patrols. Both peacekeepers saw the effects of horrific conflict in their own countries and decided to focus their careers on supporting other nations on the long and sometimes arduous road to peace.

Our young civilian personnel, including those serving as United Nations Volunteers , also make remarkable contributions in many areas, and ultimately play a pivotal role in integrating the Youth, Peace and Security agenda into the work of peace operations.

Kamara and Manzi and tens of thousands of other peacekeepers – the young and the not-so-young – work tirelessly in some of the world’s most difficult places to build a better and more durable peace. They deserve our appreciation and they need our unwavering support. It is simply the least we can do.

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Recognizing young people as powerful peace-builders

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Investing in youth for peace and security: A European perspective

• Valentina Aslani
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More than half the population of our planet is under age 30, and the majority of them live in countries affected by conflict. Yet, they are not included at the tables where decisions affecting them are made. Involving young women and young men in peacebuilding and conflict resolution is fundamental for achieving international sustainable development.

From youth as perpetrators of violence to youth as change-makers

The youth has long been identified as perpetrators of violence and a threat to security and stability. The focus on young people has only increased in recent decades – especially on young men, as the ones who have monopolised national armies and managed criminal gangs and extremist groups. Young women have largely been perceived as passive and vulnerable victims, the target of war strategies and gender segregation in both private and public spaces.

When we look at contexts of crisis, youths are actually the most affected in terms of social and economic discrimination by governments and some intergovernmental organisations' policies. Many obstacles block youth development, especially in developing countries. First among these is the lack of (or limited) access to education and job opportunities. Youth marginalisation is even greater for young women, who also face gender-based discrimination and violence due to stereotyping and biased cultural norms. The barriers are also greater for youths who are refugees or internally displaced persons, indigenous, disabled, LGBTQI+ or living in rural communities, among others.

Since 2015 there has been a consensus at the international level on the importance of harnessing young people’s potential. This has brought calls for concrete actions to value the work of young people and recognise them as change-makers and leaders of today and tomorrow.

The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda

The first United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) aimed at shifting the paradigm away from negative stereotyping of the youth was adopted on 9 December 2015. UNSCR 2250 seeks to reinforce the protection of marginalised people and groups in conflict-affected areas and to promote their effective participation in reconciliation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes. It identifies five key pillars for action:

• Participation  of youth in negotiation agreements and peace-building processes
• Protection  of youth (especially those living in conflict-affected areas), stressing accountability in cases of gender-based violence, acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes
• Prevention  of social unrest, through initiatives, to foster intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, tolerance, social cohesion and the promotion of a culture of peace among young people
• Partnerships  among governments, international institutions and local communities to provide young people with political and financial support, encourage initiatives that promote their effective inclusion and develop strategies to counter violent extremism
• Disengagement and reintegration  of young people, by promoting youth employment opportunities and gender-sensitive policies to counter gender-based and intersectional marginalisation

Following UNSCR 2250, the Security Council passed Resolution 2419 (2018) and Resolution 2535 (2020), which stress the need for full and equal participation of young people at all levels. In March 2020, the UN Secretary-General released the first report on the YPS Agenda (S/2020/167) and a study exploring the positive role of young people in sustaining peace, titled “The Missing Peace”. These highlight the youth as an essential resource for the planet’s demographic development, which, therefore, should have opportunities to actively participate in peace processes and in negotiating and implementing agreements. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the youth to be involved, for example, in climate change accords and responses to public health challenges (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).

The European commitment

In line with the UN agenda, Europe has made progress in advancing youth inclusion in peace and security, at both the intergovernmental and the grassroots levels.

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), the European Partnership for Children and Youth in Peacebuilding (EYPB) and the European Youth Forum (EYF), in particular, have been working to strengthen youth participation. They have become leading promoters of events surrounding the implementation of the UN YPS Agenda in Europe. Partnership and collaboration between the European institutions and civil society and grassroots youth organisations and movements have brought key achievements in the recognition of youths as active and positive change-makers in the field of peace and security.

Three examples of European initiatives promoting intergenerational dialogue on peace and security are the European Conference on Youth, Peace and Security (2018); the European consultation on “The Missing Peace” (2018); and the EU Council Conclusions on the Role of Young People in Building a Secure, Cohesive and Harmonious Society (2018).

The European institutions have recognised the importance of the YPS Agenda and introduced changes to programming and commitments to benefit youth empowerment. For example, in 2018 the European Parliament banned unpaid internships, and in 2020 it adopted a resolution that supports young people in securing quality employment, with particular focus on challenges faced by young people with disabilities, homeless young people, young Roma, and young migrants and refugees. The EU Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) has supported some 60 programmes for the youth in peacebuilding, crisis management and violent conflict situations.

European Union (EU) member states, too, have pledged to push for more support for the implementation of UNSCR 2250 and to significantly transform formal commitments into concrete and effective actions in their own national agendas. After a close collaboration with the Finnish National Youth Council Allianssi, the Finnish government has moved towards adopting Europe’s first national action plan on YPS in 2021. This is a great example of partnership to ensure that national action plans and existing national strategies and programmes are aligned.

Following the Finnish steps, other youth-focused organisations across Europe are taking action to advocate for similar national action plans. For instance, at the Italian Network on YPS we believe that young people are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We promote youth engagement at decision-making tables, particularly in peace processes. We have worked since 2017 to promote awareness of the YPS Agenda among young people, civil society and national institutions, including the National Youth Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). We just launched a national consultation to map young people’s needs, aspirations and priorities related to the YPS Agenda, to inform our dialogue with the MAECI as well as towards the adoption of an Italian national action plan in the near future.

The future is young: A look forward

The partnership between the European institutions, governments and youth-led organisations should be built on shared responsibility and mutual trust. When institutions invest in youth-led peacebuilding and provide them with inclusive resources, youths have the opportunity to thrive. At the same time, when young women and young men support each other and trust institutions, they create a better society where intercultural understanding and respect grow.

The specific approach of the North-South Centre on the YPS Agenda provides a good example of how we should look forward. It does not view peacebuilding as a stand-alone field; rather, it explores and fosters an intertwined relationship between peacebuilding, democratic participation and human rights. The African Union-EU Youth Cooperation Hub and the Mediterranean Young Voices Plus initiative should inspire the propagation of refreshing, youth-led initiatives that bring together youths from different backgrounds and recognise their meaningful role on both continents in co-creating projects that address violent extremism and advocate for (more) peaceful and inclusive societies.

About the author

Valentina Aslani is a member of Rete Italiana Giovani Pace e Sicurezza, the Italian Network on Youth, Peace and Security.

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Making the young 'future ready' for a peaceful and sustainable world

Message by Prof. Anantha Duraiappah, Director Of UNESCO MGIEP

The future of our world lies in the hands of the youth – with over three billion people below the age of thirty-four. For more peaceful and sustainable societies to foster, the bulge of this youth demographic will play a vital role in dealing with changing environments and the challenges of the 21 st  century.

To contend with issues such as exponential economic growth, increasing population, globalisation and rising inequalities, education systems will play a crucial part in equipping the youth with suitable skills to make them ‘future ready’. Education systems need to transform themselves to empower the young with socio-effective skills that will help them effectively and efficiently respond to these challenges.

A report released in 2015 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) titled ‘New Vision for Education – Unlocking the Potential of Technology’ highlighted that in a technology driven world, students must possess competencies such as critical thinking and collaboration and character qualities including curiosity and adaptability in addition to the language arts, mathematics and sciences. Subsequent studies and reports by the WEF re-enforced these results, identifying the need for education systems to impart socio-emotional skills to complement the ‘technical skills’.

In the sixth issue of the Blue Dot, we focus on the importance of the 21 st  century skills for the young.

Based on existing research in the neurosciences, UNESCO MGIEP has identified four competencies that it believes the youth need to be equipped with to effectively address the challenges of the 21 st  century – including critical inquiry, mindfulness, empathy and compassion, which form the new integrative curriculum of UNESCO MGIEP’s LIBRE programme.

In the sixth issue of the Blue Dot, we focus on the importance of these 21 st  century skills for the young. The issue includes a foreword by the Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India on the importance of inculcating 21 st  century skills in education systems and our Cover Story, which introduces UNESCO MGIEP’s LIBRE programme that follows an ‘integrated brain’ approach to education. Additionally, we feature opinions by specialists from academia, research and the industry on the lacuna present in existing education systems and the opportunities available to address this gap by introducing socio-emotional skills and inquiry oriented learning into curricula. Amongst various experts, we hear from Ines Kudo and Joan Hartley from The World Bank on the importance of ‘Teaching empathy and compassion in schools’; Prof. K.P. Mohanan on ‘Critical Inquiry and Inquiry oriented education’ and Dr. Marilee Bresciani Ludvik on how mindfulness forms the foundation for cultivating compassion.

Further, we present excerpts from a collection of ‘Ask me Anything’ sessions focused on socio-emotional skills, hosted on Knowledge Commons, UNESCO MGIEP’s knowledge sharing platform. We have been honoured to have the opportunity to host and learn from experts such as Dr. Richard Davidson, recognised as one of ‘The 100 most influential people in the world’ in 2006 by the Time Magazine and Chade-Meng Tan, currently the Chairman of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute and Co-chair of One Billion Acts of Peace, which has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of The Blue Dot and, as always, look forward to your feedback in order to improvise future editions of the magazine.

Anantha Kumar Duraiappah Director, UNESCO MGIEP

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Gender equality, youth aspirations keys to sustainable peace, Security Council hears

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Gender equality and the aspirations of young people are crucial for ensuring sustainable peace and security, the UN’s top political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council on Tuesday.

Addressing ambassadors at the Council’s open debate on the role of women and youth, UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo highlighted the significant challenges and impacts faced by women.

“Women bear the brunt of the global rollback of human rights,” she stated.

She referenced her recent visit to Afghanistan, where women are systematically denied basic rights, including education and employment opportunities.

“Women I met in Kabul told me of their aspirations and dreams: the same education afforded to men, equal employment opportunities and freedom to choose their futures. They look to the global community to support them in realizing their rights so that they can contribute to their country’s future,” she said.

Dismantle structural inequalities

Ms. DiCarlo pointed out that Afghanistan is not unique in that regard and that commitments on gender equality “are being ignored, if not reversed, in many regions”.

She underscored the importance of the Secretary-General’s New Agenda for Peace , which calls for dismantling patriarchal power structures and ensuring women’s equal access.

“Doing away with structural gender inequalities is a matter of equity and right,” she asserted.

“But, it is also a powerful means to improve the chances of success of peace and political processes,” she added, emphasising that UN special political missions have strived to promote women’s rights and meaningful participation in peace processes.

Youth inclusion

Youth inclusion was another critical focus of the Under-Secretary-General’s remarks.

She highlighted the need for young people to shape their futures and participate safely in peace processes and electoral activities.

“ They [young people] are not ‘adults in the making’ ,” she said. “They are full human beings with hopes, aspirations, ideas and energy to contribute right now.”

She stressed that engaging youth in peace processes is a missed opportunity that governments should seize to rebuild trust in institutions and increase intergenerational solidarity.

Supporting youth participation

To support youth participation, the UN is allocating resources from the Peacebuilding Fund to back national action plans for youth, peace and security.

Regional efforts, such as the African Union's framework and the Arab regional youth, peace and security strategy, are also instrumental in catalysing national actions, she said.

Environmental peacebuilding, where young women often play leading roles, was another area highlighted, as Ms. DiCarlo called for recognising and advancing the contributions of young environmental defenders, community leaders and peacebuilders.

In conclusion, Ms. DiCarlo emphasised that transformative changes rely on national action involving all segments of society, supported by international efforts. The Security Council , she urged, can reinforce that woman, along with men, are responsible for building peace and prosperity in their societies.

“Gender equality and realising the aspirations of young people are essential for sustainable peace and security around the world,” she said.

SDG 16: INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES

• Reduce all forms of violence and related death rates
• End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and violence against children
• Promote rule of law at national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice
• Reduce illicit financial and arms flows, and combat organized crime
• Reduce corruption and bribery
• Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions
• Strengthen relevant institutions to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

More than 108.4 million people had been forcibly displaced by the end of 2022, over 2.5 times the number reported a decade ago.

• security council
• Young people

War and Peace Exercise : Question Answers and Grammar

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War and Peace

Ways with words

A. match the words on the left side with their meanings on the right., b. fill in the blanks with the suitable word from the list given..

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Comprehension

Answer these questions., a. why was the italian socialist mergari treated like a madman, b. can political aims be attained by the criminal instrumentality of war if yes, how, c. which hopes and plans were said to be mutually contradictory, d. what can be the sacred duty of every man of good will on earth, e. is it good to tacitly accept war as an instrument of politics if not, what else should be done, f. how can we stop war in the world, g. what is the main message of this essay, critical thinking, a. are warmongers the greatest enemies for peace what do you want to suggest to them, b. the nobel prize winner american novelist john steinbeck 1920 1968 on said “all war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.” do you agree with the novelist why, c. does any war end all wars and bring lasting peace to the world discuss., d. why do you think countries go to war, write essays in about 500 words on the following topics., a. war and peace, b. responsive youths for peace and prosperity.

Responsive Youths for Peace and Prosperity

B. Divide the following sentences into different parts.

A. the children are playing now., b. srijana will be reading a story., c. bimala is a very beautiful girl., d. she usually wears glasses., e. they elected him president., f. rabin is laughing., g. he has a big house in butwal., h. the man who lives next door is a professor., i. her uncle has been living in kathmandu for fifteen years., j. the girl with long hair asked me a question last week., don't miss our nepali guide.

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