Youth, Peace & Security

The YPS Agenda calls for a greater voice and meaningful participation in peace processes for young people between the ages of 18 and 29. The YPS-Agenda is based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 of 2015 and its three follow-up resolutions of 2018 (Resolution 2419), 2020 (Resolution 2535) and 2025 (Res. 2807). The agenda encompasses five key concerns:  

• First, young people should be involved in all decision-making processes, from conflict prevention to peace negotiations (participation); 
• Second, the human rights of young people must be protected and all human rights violations against them must be prosecuted (protection); 
• Third, young people should be supported through the prevention of violence and the promotion of a culture of tolerance and intercultural dialogue (prevention); 
• Fourth, young people should be involved in the development of peace-building strategies, both during and after conflicts, with the help of the relevant UN institutions (partnerships); 
• Finally, young people should be involved in the planning of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes through employment and educational opportunities (disengagement and reintegration). 

More and more international organizations are incorporating the YPS Agenda into their institutional frameworks. In September 2022, the UN Youth Office was established, and in October 2023, an Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs was appointed for the first time. The mandate of this position is to enhance the integration of young people into the UN system and to strengthen their participation in intergovernmental processes. Resources have also been allocated to peacekeeping missions, and tailored implementation strategies for the agenda have been developed. The YPS Agenda is now integrated into the mandates of seven UN peacekeeping missions and eleven Special Political Missions (including programs on security sector reform, rule of law, institutional capacity and governance).  

For example, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) implemented a project to support the Basic Court of Pristina and the Basic Prosecution Office of Mitrovica, with a particular focus on the recruitment of young lawyers. The program also included a component on intercommunal trust-building, which promoted exchange visits between interns from the two institutions. In 2018, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), in cooperation with partner organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, established the first juvenile detention center to provide a more supportive environment for reintegration into society and thereby prevent the (re)recruitment of young people into violent groups. In Lebanon, UNIFIL supports initiatives focused on nonviolent communication.  

The YPS agenda is also gaining momentum in other international organizations. Within the European Union, it has been incorporated into the European External Action Service’s (EEAS) Youth Action Plan since October 2022. The Civilian CSDP Compact, adopted in 2023 to strengthen the civilian dimension of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), makes explicit reference to UN Resolution 2250 and was further operationalized in 2024 through a so-called mini-concept on YPS in civilian CSDP. Ultimately, YPS is also finding its way into mission mandates within the CSDP context, such as in the EU Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA), established in 2023. 

The OSCE already mentioned the importance of youth in its founding document (Helsinki Final Act of 1975). In the last decade, the role of young people in peace and security issues has been further recognized in various declarations (Declaration on Youth and Security 2015, Declaration on the Role of Youth in Contributing to Peace and Security Efforts 2018). This is reflected in the various field missions: The Youth Advisory Group of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the OSCE Presence in Albania offer young people the opportunity to contribute their perspectives to the activities of these field missions. The flagship project of the OSCE Presence in Albania is the Youth Trail, a one-week exchange for 30 young people from the Western Balkans to promote regional networking among young people and to promote peace and security in the region. In addition, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe has developed a Youth Action Plan to better coordinate and generally mainstream its youth activities. 

NATO hosts an annual Youth Summit where young people’s voices and views on the Alliance’s security challenges are heard. Another initiative is the African Union’s (AU) Youth Ambassador for Peace program. 

As of: 26.03.2026

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