Youth Participation in Parliaments and Peace and Security

“The majority of young people are now aspiring to become parliamentarians because they see their colleagues in the house… we can say that it will somehow improve the country’s fragile state,” a Somali youth leader said. The links between youth representation and participation in parliament and the maintenance of peace and security are indeed increasingly evident. Involving young people in parliaments’ decisions can help promote social cohesion in societies affected by conflict or political instability and increase trust in the government to bring about social change through non-violent means.
 
Through efforts to include youth are still in their early stages, improved youth participation in parliament has already generated some positive outcomes that may advance peace and stability in the long run. For example, governments, parliaments, and international organizations are increasingly using young MPs as mediators to resolve community and other conflicts involving youth. Despite these positive trends, young parliamentarians are often precluded by their limited numbers and influence from engaging more meaningfully on peace and security concerns or promoting a ‘youth agenda’ in parliament. In some cases, young MPs struggle with perceptions within their political parties that peace and security issues are the domain of the older generation. At the same time, young people do not necessarily feel that young parliamentarians speak for them or represent their interests or the interests of young people generally.

The lack of mechanisms for young people to systematically influence parliamentary decisions and hold elected officials to account exacerbates a “trust gap” between youth and their elected officials. The implementation of UNSCR 2250 now offers an opportunity to address these and other challenges and makes increased youth participation in parliament a priority for building more peaceful and stable societies. Provided below are recommendations that emerged from this research study, as well as notes on the need  for further research into this important topic.