While youth contribute to an ever-growing demographic bulge, the positive role that youth can play in creating more peaceful and inclusive societies has only recently received serious recognition in the international policy arena. The first formal recognition on a global scale that youth participation is vital for sustainable peace came in December 2015 with Security Council Resolution (SCR) 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security.
A result of joint initiatives over several years by youth organisations, the United Nations (UN) Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), SCR 2250 highlights the inclusion of youth in peace and decision making processes as a priority area for the UN.
Parallel resolutions passed in the UN Security Council (SCR 2282) and the General Assembly(A/RES/70/262) in April 2016 on the UN Peacebuilding Architecture (PBA) further underscore the importance of youth participation, reaffirming the role of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) to strengthen youth engagement in peacebuilding efforts. The resolutions also highlight the need for education, skills training and employment to increase the inclusion of youth in decision-making processes. Yet, there is a lack of systematic evidence of how youth have been and are engaged in various peacebuilding contexts and how their participation can be broadened and deepened. Despite this acknowledgement, youth—defined here as 18 to 29 year olds1 —continue to face challenges in making their voices heard in local, national and international political processes.
More evidence for how young people are contributing to formal and informal peace initiatives is needed. To continue its inclusivity work and in recognition of the importance of understanding local experiences and contexts in promoting inclusive peacebuilding, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation aims to highlight local and youth perspectives on and approaches to engaging youth in the implementation of SCR 2250 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Country case studies on Tunisia, Myanmar, and Liberia will further examine the experience of youth in building peace, a key stakeholder group identified in the Foundation’s Development Dialogue no.63.
Tunisia was selected due to its role as a pilot country for the implementation of the SDGs and because it demonstrates the potential of peacebuilding in preventing the eruption of violent conflict.