Resolution 2250, adopted by the United Nations Security Council in 2015, is the first resolution fully dedicated to the important and positive role young women and men play in the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security. Security Council resolution 2250 requested the Secretary-General “to carry out a progress study on the youth’s positive contribution to peace processes and conflict resolution, in order to recommend effective responses at local, national, regional and international levels”.
The process of how this study was undertaken is just as important as the outcomes it produced. The study used an inclusive and participatory research approach by undertaking regional, subregional and national consultations with young people across the globe; conducting and receiving country case studies; commissioning focus-group discussions with “hard to reach” youth; and drawing on a survey-based mapping of the work done by youth-led peacebuilding organizations. Particular effort was made to reach out beyond easily accessible and elite youth, to young people who would not ordinarily have a say in these sorts of global policy processes. Given the challenge of young people’s increasing distrust in their governments and the multilateral system, it was essential to work with credible civil society organizations with strong trust-based relationships with youth on the ground