essay responsive youths for peace and prosperity

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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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Responsive youths for peace and prosperity

Young people have always played a critical role in shaping the world in which we live, and today's youth are no exception. In many parts of the world, young people are at the forefront of efforts to promote peace and prosperity, and they are using their energy, creativity, and passion to make a positive difference in their communities and beyond.

One of the key ways that young people are working towards peace and prosperity is through activism and advocacy. Across the globe, young people are speaking out and taking action on a wide range of issues, including peace and conflict resolution, human rights, climate change, and social justice. Whether through organizing protests, campaigning for policy change, or simply raising awareness about important issues, young people are making their voices heard and working to create a more just and sustainable world.

Another way that young people are promoting peace and prosperity is through education and learning. By gaining knowledge and understanding about the world around them, young people are better equipped to make informed decisions and to contribute to the common good. This can involve pursuing formal education, such as through schools or universities, or engaging in informal learning through community service, volunteering, or other hands-on experiences.

In addition to activism and education, young people are also promoting peace and prosperity through their work and economic activity. Many young people are starting their own businesses, creating jobs and opportunities for others, and contributing to economic growth and development. This can involve everything from launching startups to working in the informal sector or supporting microenterprises. By building their own economic prosperity, young people are also helping to create a more stable and prosperous world for everyone.

Ultimately, the key to promoting peace and prosperity through the efforts of young people is to create an environment in which they are empowered and supported to make a positive impact. This can involve providing access to education and learning opportunities, supporting young people in their efforts to become involved in activism and advocacy, and helping them to build economic independence and prosperity. By investing in the talents and potential of young people, we can create a brighter and more hopeful future for everyone.

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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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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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Counting on youth, for an ‘equitable and sustainable world for all’

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At a virtual event on Friday commemorating the International Day of Peace, the UN chief saluted the “voices, vision and commitment of young people in shaping a more peaceful world”.

“ You are leaders, changemakers and advocates in our societies ”, he told assembled youth online, “speaking out against violence, discrimination and inequalities” and calling for an end to conflicts worldwide, while also “leading the charge for urgent action on climate”.

Secretary-General António Guterres was attending the virtual 2021 Youth Observance , on the theme of Recovering Better for a Sustainable and Equitable World .

Join us in celebrating peace by standing up against hate amid #COVID19.Watch live as @antonioguterres, UN Messengers of Peace Midori, @PauloCoelho, Jane Goodall (@JaneGoodallInst) & students from around the world commemorate next week's #PeaceDay. https://t.co/Gtycz3bIhb United Nations UN

The UN’s asks

Mr. Guterres asked young people to support the UN’s call for a global 24-hour ceasefire, “and for all parties to conflict to commit to a lasting, sustainable peace”.

He also urged youth to “keep pushing governments and other leaders to close the vaccine gap between rich and poor countries”.

And finally, to keep sounding the alarm on the climate emergency engulfing our planet.

“As we seek peace among and within nations, we need to seek peace with our planet, too”, he said. “Extreme weather, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and polluted air and water threaten our very existence”.

In closing he asked for young people to help the world “recover better and stronger”.

“Thank you for celebrating peace with us today, and every day. I count on your continued support as we work together to build a more equitable and sustainable world for all”, concluded the UN chief.

Voices of youth

After delivering his message, Mr. Guterres spoke online to youngsters from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), United States and Central African Republic (CAR).

Dyuthi Vasupal, from the UAE, noted the negative repercussions that COVID has had for education, especially for girls, and asked how school systems can bridge the many challenges still being faced, and help young people with “the means, access and opportunities”, to create an equitable society.

Mr. Guterres answered that because education is “the most important equalizer” in the world , it must be a priority for all governments and international organizations and that schools must be able to “adapt, to be able to change and be successful in a world that is in constant progress”.

Messengers of Peace

UN Messengers of Peace took the floor, including celebrated Japanese American violinist Midori, and students from the Chamber Music Institute performed a stirring rendition of Vivaldi’s “Spring” from the Four Seasons.

Award-winning Brazilian author Paulo Coelho emphasized that “respect is the most important thing that we have”. In an upbeat assessment, he acknowledged that while the world “cannot change overnight…little by little” it will get back on track.

British conservationist and ground-anthropologist, Jane Goodall, said that in a world full of conflict and suffering, young people are her “greatest hope” .

“They understand that nature is suffering, that we must find ways to protect forests and other ecosystems…to ban wildlife trafficking…reduce the unsustainable lifestyles of the wealthy and alleviate”, she said.

Ms. Goodall maintained that when millions of people make even small ethical choices in how they live every day, this cumulatively moves us towards a better world.

“We are all part of one human family…We need to get together and take action now, before it’s too late”, she added.

Crisis point for humanity

In a broader message marking the International Day of Peace, Mr. Guterres warned that humankind faces “a stark choice between peace and perpetual peril”, saying “we must choose peace”.

He painted a grim picture of COVID-19 turning the world “upside-down” and conflicts “spinning out of control” amidst a worsening climate emergency and deepening inequality and poverty.

The UN chief upheld however, that the world can tackle these issues “by working in solidarity for a lasting, sustainable peace every day”.

“ We need peace to level the playing field and reduce inequalities …to renew trust in one another — and faith in facts and science – and we need to make peace with nature to heal our planet, build a green economy, and achieve our net-zero targets”, he spelled out.

The Secretary-General said that “peace is not a naïve dream” but “a light in the darkness”, guiding us to “the only pathway to a better future for humanity”.

“ Let’s walk the pathway of peace as if our lives depended on it. Because they do ”, he added.

‘Peace, harmony and prosperity’   

Speaking at the annual Peace Bell ceremony, rung each year by the Secretary-General to pray for World Peace, Mr. Guterres urged everyone to “recommit to each other…and to the best of humanity”. 

The newly installed President of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, observed that the “human need for sanctuary is in our genes”. 

“Peace is, after all, one of our very reasons for being here. It is a pillar of the Charter, it is why we talk, why we deliberate, why we come together each year”, he said. 

Mr. Shahid upheld that everyone can be “instruments of peace”, to change the world into “one of cooperation and constancy” and vowed to work hard to “bring together the best of humanity…[and] showcase the best examples of peace, harmony and prosperity”. 

“Together, we are nations united in greater purpose”, he stated.   

The General Assembly  established  the International Day of Peace in 1981. Two decades later, in 2001, it unanimously voted to  designate  the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. 

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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

Integrating Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Progress on the ‘Peace Goal’: Are We Truly Achieving It?

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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Empowered for Peace – Youth Power for Peace Participants Reflect on Peacebuilding in their Communities

When I think of peace, I think of safety. When there is peace, you feel a sense of comfort and tranquility and those feelings to me equate to Peace.

Forty-one youth from across the Caribbean, participated in the UNESCO Youth Power for Peace on September 7 th , 9 th and 22 nd , 2023. Youth were equipped with human and methodological resources as well as the knowledge related to being more effective advocates for lasting social change. The training strengthened cross-cultural collaboration across the region and provided practical guidance for youth to be able to engage with decision-makers and mobilize their communities through meaningful activities. Through interactive and non-formal education methods, participants gained valuable insights into the aspirations and perspectives of others, while sharing their own expertise and experiences. 

As they reflected on the power of youth, participants highlighted the various ways they continue to foster change in their communities, including, acting as ambassadors for peace and champions of youth engagement.

Participants also shared common peace and security issues that youth experience such as online hate speech, bullying, and violence – mostly gang-related and in schools. One of the major concerns was the heightened levels of crime and violence that exist throughout the region. The participants suggested that governments also partner with youth to address this issue. They also underscored that young people should not only be perceived as a main cause of violence and crime but identified as part of the solution. The participants also discussed strengthening regional collaboration to operationalize the Youth Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda, and recommended establishing a Regional Coalition on Youth, Peace, and Security in the Caribbean.

As one of the major outcomes of the training, participants created YPS action plans, with the support of UNESCO facilitators and developed several project ideas to advance the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda. The range of projects covered a variety of issues including advocacy and capacity development for prioritizing youth mental health and wellbeing; peace education initiatives to reduce violence in and around schools; positive youth participation in digital spaces, including protection from cyber-bullying and hate speech, as well as providing technical guidance to Member States to implement their youth policies, building on the experiences of this crucial stakeholder group, and means in which to mainstream YPS.

Through this training, UNESCO builds on its YPS Roadmap , co-created with youth, to further promote the implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda where young people are recognized and supported to meaningfully engage in peacebuilding in their communities and society at large.

Youth from Caribbean countries including, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Sint Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, successfully participated in the programme.

This news item was written in collaboration with UNESCO’s Youth, Peace and Security Support Group 2023 members, Lashante Sampson and Khaleem Ali

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• Social and human sciences
• Programme implementation
• Sharing knowledge
• Peacebuilding
• Peacemaking
• Country page: Anguilla
• Country page: Antigua and Barbuda
• Country page: Barbados
• Country page: Bahamas
• Country page: Belize
• Country page: Guyana
• Country page: Haiti
• Country page: Jamaica
• Country page: Montserrat
• Country page: Saint Lucia
• Country page: Sint Maarten
• Country page: Trinidad and Tobago
• Country page: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
• UNESCO Office in Kingston
• SDG: SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
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This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals .

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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

drew dunbrack , Michael McGill , 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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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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Empowering Youth as Agents for Peace and Social Cohesion

The Solomon Islands is entering a critical phase in its peacebuilding journey; the Regional Assistance Mission has now fully withdrawn, national and provision elections in early 2019 are a potential flashpoint in a context where government spending is increasingly dominated by discretionary spending managed by Members of Parliament, and a referendum on independence in neighbouring Bougainville risks reigniting violence along the porous border. 

In this context and in support of the recently launched National Youth Policy, this project will empower marginalised young Solomon Islanders, particularly young women both to engage in decision-making and as pro-active social entrepreneurs to address local sources of grievances. It will take peacebuilding efforts in a new direction, and into new locations that have traditionally been beyond the reach of development efforts and government services to help nurture a new generation of effective peace advocates and national builders. 

Planned Outcomes: 

• Strengthen the voices of young people particularly young women in Honiara, North Malaita, the Weather Coast of Guadalcanal, and boarder communities in the West, in terms of decision making processes related to issues identified in the Perceptions Survey on peacebuilding. 
• Communities in the hotspot areas are more resilient to conflict with more socially, economically and politically empowered youth particularly young women engaging as peace builders.

Related Materials

Empowering Youth Project Document

Annual Workplan 2019/20

Annual Report 2019

Annual Workplan 2021/22

Final Evaluation Report EYAPSCSI Project Clean version76

Social and Environmental Screening Procedure

Assistant Community Liaison Officer

Assistant Community Liaison Officer - Western Province

Perception Survey of Peace Building Fund Projects in Solomon Islands- Re-advertised

RFP - Perception Survey of Peace Building Funded Projects in Solomon Islands (UNDP-SOI-RFP-2019-036)

Youth private sector engagement officer

Activity Web Page

VIEW ALL ON OPEN.UNDP.ORG

December 2018

PROJECT OFFICE

Solomon Islands

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER

United Nations Development Programme

Peacebuilding Fund

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Delivery in previous years.

2019 $566,209

2020 $729,573

2021 $319,661

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