Youth Peacebuilding Leaders on Implementing S/RES/2250, Financing, and Protection

The objective of this dialogue is to amplify the experiences, strategies and approaches of young local peacebuilders towards the implementation of UNSCR2250, jointly reflect on the impact of this work, and facilitate exchange of practical avenues to support quality financing mechanisms that place youth ownership at the core of peacebuilding action.

In many conflict-affected regions around the world, the majority of the population are below the age of 30. Youth are often scapegoated as the reason for the ills of their community and country, though in actuality it is often these young people who are at the forefront of mobilizing for positive change. Local peacebuilders still find ways to amplify the impact that young peacebuilders are making on the ground to advance peace and solve conflict in their communities. 

 

Recognising youth leadership, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace & Security (YPS) recognises and empowers the positive agency of youth while calling on Member States to act in kind.

 

Since the adoption of Resolution 2250 (2015), two subsequent Resolutions have been adopted by the United Nations Security Council - Resolutions 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020). Under the leadership of Egypt, the Peacebuilding Commission has also developed the Strategic Action Plan on Youth and Peacebuilding. At the national level, there is increasing momentum with the recent adoption of National Action Plans in Finland and Nigeria, as well as the introduction of legislation in the United States Congress.

However, young peacebuilders continue to experience challenges in amplifying and sustaining their work. Even when engaged in YPS implementation, young people are still excluded from many of the general peacebuilding processes and available financial resources. Further, the finances available to them do not allow for their adequate protection, within the context of “shrinking civic space” exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. While young people lead movements to address climate change as well as movements like Black Lives Matter, #EndSARs, and in Myanmar/Burma, Colombia, Afghanistan and other countries; they also are more likely to do so voluntarily and constitute one of the top demographics to experience violence as a result of their activism. 

Opportunity for action on financing for peacebuilding: Providing young peacebuilders with the resources they need to launch their own initiatives has received positive feedback and achieved good results. In response to the funding gap faced by young peacebuilders, both GPPAC and Peace Direct, as well as other peacebuilding partners in the field, have piloted innovative funding mechanisms that center around principles of authentic partnership, participatory grantmaking and a holistic support approach. With funding from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), Peace Direct launched the Youth Action for Peace Program (YAPP) in Mali, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pakistan, working with youth-led organizations to provide small flexible programme grants to other youth-led organizations and movements. Similarly, GPPAC’s Youth-by-Youth Methodology provided an opportunity for GPPAC’s YPS Working Group to take the lead in the development of a Small Grants scheme that supported the innovative ideas of young peacebuilders across the network.

This open dialogue builds on the existing progress achieved in the implementation of the YPS Agenda, as well as serves to support the work of the UN SG’s Envoy for Youth and the Deputy Secretary General in recognizing and empowering youth and to inform the discussions ahead of the 2022 High-Level Meeting on Financing for Peacebuilding by sharing the examples of participatory funding mechanisms that can effectively support youth leadership in peacebuilding.  

The open dialogue will shed light and generate discussion on the following questions: 

• What are the good practices of youth-led peacebuilding action? How are these activities financially supported? 
• What are the opportunities and challenges that young peacebuilders highlight from their own fundraising efforts? What are some of the elements of a “quality” grant? 
• How can the donor community support youth in being more constructively included in peace processes and protect them from violence, including targeted at them? What can the UN and other international partners do to enhance their support for youth peacebuilding? 

To join this event, please register here.

For more information about this event, please contact Amanda Huits at a.huits@gppac.net