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The Youth, Peace and Security Agenda
Since 2015, young people’s essential role in peace and security has been increasingly recognized and documented. Following several years of advocacy by over 11,000 young people from over 110 countries, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a historic resolution, UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, The Youth, Peace and Security AgendaPeace and Security (2015), recognizing young peoples’ positive role in international peace and security. This landmark resolution identifies five key pillars for action: participation, protection, prevention, partnerships, and disengagement and reintegration. It urges Member States to give young people a greater voice in decision-making at the local, national, regional and international levels and to consider setting up mechanisms that would enable young people to participate meaningfully in peace processes.
Youth, Peace and Security at the Peacebuilding Support Office
DPPA, through the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), together with UNFPA and the Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy, have been instrumental in the development of the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda and the main entities at the United Nations working toward this agenda. PBSO with UNFPA co-leads the UN YPS Secretariat that provides backstopping support to the UN focal points system on YPS. The work of the joint secretariat focuses on;
- Increase the awareness of key stakeholders of the YPS agenda through enhanced advocacy
- Strengthen the capacities of key stakeholders to implement YPS
Reports of the Secretary-General on Youth, Peace and Security
First report of the Secretary-General on Youth, Peace and Security
Report of the Secretary-General on Youth, Peace, and Security
The first report by the Secretary-General on youth and peace and security since the Security Council adopted resolution 2250 (2015) was released March 2020. Resolution 2250 recognized the essential role of young people in preventing and resolving conflicts and in sustaining peace, which was reaffirmed in Security Council resolution 2419 (2018) and in a statement by the President of the Security Council in December 2019 on silencing the guns in Africa.
The Secretary-General’s report has two key findings:
- There is a growing recognition of young people’s essential role in peace and security. It is encouraging to see many instances in which Governments, United Nations entities, civil society actors and others are stepping up to implement resolution 2250 (2015);
- Core challenges remain, including structural barriers limiting the participation of young people and their capacity to influence decision-making; violations of their human rights; and insufficient investment in facilitating their inclusion and empowerment.
The report provides an analysis of the five pillars of resolution 2250: participation, protection, prevention, partnerships, disengagement and reintegration as well as institutionalization of the youth, peace and security agenda and recommendations to how member states, the Security Council, the UN and regional organizations must invest in the youth, peace and security.
The release of the Report coincides with significant milestones: the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, the 20th anniversary of Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, the launch of a decade of action for the Sustainable Development Goals, the 25th anniversary of the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
Read the report of the Secretary General on Youth, Peace and Security
ARABIC - CHINESE - ENGLISH - FRENCH - RUSSIAN - SPANISH
See recording of the Security Council Open VTC on Youth, Peace and Security (27 April 2020)
Second report of the Secretary-General on Youth, Peace and Security
The second report of the Secretary-General on youth, peace and security (S/2022/220), since the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2250 (2015), was issued March 2022. This follows the first report of the Secretary-General on youth and peace and security in 2020. The report was developed by the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), UNFPA, and the Office of the UN Youth Envoy (OSGEY) as the three penholders, with inputs from the whole UN system, civil society and member states. The report has concrete recommendations for the UN, the Security Council and Member States.
Read the second report of the Secretary General on Youth, Peace and Security:
In January 2022 the High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Process was held virtually, co-hosted by the State of Qatar, Governments of Finland and Colombia and co-organized with civil society.
The virtual Global Conference aimed to:
- secure national commitments to advance gender-responsive country-level operationalization of the Youth Peace and Security (YPS) agenda, and
- strengthen political will and commitment towards including youth into peace processes with particular focus on young women.
Interactive and action-oriented discussions convened across five themes between Heads of State and other high-level Government representatives, young peacebuilders, and representatives of intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, academia, and donors.
These themes were:
- Youth, Peace & Security in today’s world
- Moving beyond words
- Inclusive peace processes
- Inter-generational trust
- Youth in their diversity
Two conference outputs were launched:
- We are in this together: Operationalizing five Year strategic action plan for youth-inclusive peace processes A youth-inclusive approach emphasizes that peace processes should be shaped by the participation and representation of young people in the design and implementation of peace processes, as critical and necessary partners in conflict transformation and peacebuilding. This document presents a strategic action plan to move from youth-inclusive norms towards youth-inclusive practices in designing and implementing peace processes. The strategy builds on respective YPS resolutions and the global policy paper “We are Here: An integrated approach to youth-inclusive peace processes” which focused on why youth participation and representation in peace processes are critical for sustaining peace, and the multilayered roles that young people have taken to influence peace negotiations.
- Implementing the YPS agenda at country-level: a guide for public officials >This guide provides insights, examples and guidance to support government actions to institutionalize and advance YPS, including through:
- National/regional development plans or strategies;
- Strategies on youth or national youth policies;
- Peace and security plan
- Inter-generational trust
- Other relevant policies such as health, safety, and education
This guide is for public officials working at various levels of government in management and coordination roles. It will help people who are responsible for, or interested in, implementing the YPS agenda at the country level. It includes:
- Key suggestions to support the implementation of the YPS agenda.
- Planning and analytical tools.
- Examples of YPS in action.
Secretary-General on YPS
The Missing Peace
SC Briefing on YPS
Powerful Agents for Prevention
We Are Here
UNSCR2250 explained
Drivers of Sustainable Peace
