Young women and men can and do play
active roles as agents of positive and constructive change. This was validated
in December 2015 by the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution
2250 on Youth, Peace and Security.[i]
While acknowledging the prominent threat posed by the rise of radicalization
among youth, UNSC Resolution 2250 formally recognizes the positive and
important contribution of young people in the maintenance of international
peace and security, emphasizing that youth must be regarded as key partners,
rather than as victims or perpetrators. The implementation of UNSCR 2250
requires the meaningful engagement and representation of young people in all
processes of decision-making and societal transition.
More than six hundred million young
people live in fragile and conflict-affected contexts today. They are among the
most affected by the multiple and often interlinked forms of violence – from
political violence and criminal gangs to organized crime and terrorist attacks.[ii] An estimated one in four young people are living in situations where
they are exposed to such violence, although this number is likely understated.[iii] The human, social and economic costs of this violence are enormous and
long-lasting.
As well as being victims, however,
young people are the primary perpetrators of armed violence and conflict in
some areas, particularly in fragile contexts. In such contexts, where the
disenfranchisement of young people from political processes leads to widespread
feelings of injustice, frustration, and mistrust, youth can be involved in
electoral-related violence, which might occur at different stages of the electoral cycle, mostly during voter
registration, campaigning, voting,
and tabulation of results.
While young people are
disproportionately affected by violence, the vast majority of them are not
participating in it, even in the face of legitimate social, political, and
economic grievances. Indeed, many young people throughout the world are
undertaking peacebuilding and violence prevention activities, initiatives, and
projects. These efforts to appease tensions, rebuild trust, and foster social
cohesion range from volunteer grassroots groups to transnational networks. Some
are youth-led while others are youth-focused.
In the
study prepared for the UN Security Council, the Missing Peace: Independent Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security,
mandated by Resolution 2250, an array of endeavors that aim to build and
sustain peace, varying in size, depth and impact were reported. The various
types of youth peacebuilding engagements intersect and overlap but one way of
categorizing them is by context:
- situations of relative peace – youth-led or
youth-focused work to prevent the outbreak of violent conflict, including
early-intervention (longer-term) models with young children, as well as more
immediate prevention approaches (shorter-term interventions) with youth in
divided societies
- ongoing and escalating violent conflict –
interventions to mitigate the impact of violent conflict where it has emerged,
and to build peace and social cohesion (e.g. peer-to-peer dialogue and
disengaging and reintegrating former fighters); providing humanitarian support,
food and aid (even where international organizations are in retreat because of
the escalating risks of war); monitoring and documenting human rights
violations during conflict
- post-conflict – engaging in efforts to ensure
that various forms of violent conflict do not recur or re-emerge; recognizing
continuity and change in how violent conflict transmutes and evolves over time;
addressing new fault lines of exclusion, which often reflect the underlying
causes of past conflict that have not been adequately resolved.[iv]
Example: In Tunisia in 2015, a group of young
entrepreneurs ran a one-day event “Entrepreneurship against Terrorism” in which
young participants were given training in leadership and business development
and then, in groups, challenged to come up with alternative and innovative ways
to contribute to the country’s struggle against radicalization. The winning
group pitched the idea of an app to make it easier for people to report suspicious
and potentially disruptive activities, such as incitements to violence. The
app, based on the premise that many people are too intimidated to pick up the
phone and make a call, enables a witness to report the incident, giving its
exact geographical location, with one click.[v]
Example: In Somalia, Elman Peace and Human
Rights Center in Mogadishu presents an alternative to militant groups by giving
young people vocational skills, education, investment to start social
enterprises, and leadership training aimed at compelling their peers who are
still in armed groups to defect.[vi]
[iii] Simpson,
The Missing Peace, 22.
[iv] Simpson,
The Missing Peace, 47–48.
