Youth: The Missing Peace
Exploring Youth Inclusion in Peace and Security through a U.N.-mandated Progress Study
Long before the 2015 adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, young people were working to prevent violence, transform conflict and build peace in their communities. However, research on these youth-led efforts is scarce—most literature reinforces a common narrative that youth are either perpetrators or victims of violence rather than agents of change. UNSCR 2250 sought to be a turning point, and its resulting progress study, “The Missing Peace: Independent Progress Study on Youth and Peace and Security,” updates this outdated narrative and demonstrates young people’s positive role in sustaining peace.
Join USIP and the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security for an interactive, intergenerational conversation with the study’s lead author, Graeme Simpson, as well as youth and peacebuilding experts and young peacebuilders from around the world.
The event will look at the two-year evidence gathering process—which engaged more than 4,000 young people around the world and has been heralded as “possibly the most participatory process ever undertaken by the U.N.”—to draw out key lessons and recommendations regarding what works in the field of youth, peace and security, and what prevents youth’s meaningful inclusion in peace and security efforts. The conversation will also look forward, with an eye toward sustaining UNSCR 2250’s momentum and cementing our commitment to the role of youth people in preventing conflict and contributing to sustainable peace. Take part in the event on Twitter with #Youth4Peace.
Speakers
Nancy Lindborg, welcoming remarks
President& CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace
Aubrey Cox
Program Officer, Youth, U.S. Institute of Peace
Giannina Raffo
Youth Peace Leader, Venezuela
Graeme Simpson
Lead Author of the Progress Study and Director, Interpeace USA
Noella Richard, moderator
Youth Team Leader, United Nations Development Program
Saji Prelis, closing remarks
Director of Children & Youth Programs, Search for Common Ground
