Young voices from conflict zones

Will You Listen?

This Companion to the 10 year Machel Strategic Review compiles the views and recommendations of some 1,700 children and young people in 92 countries. Their thoughts and ideas were collected as a key contribution to the Review through a series of focus group discussions and an online questionnaire. Focus group discussions were conducted by UNICEF, UNFPA and NGO partners in 18 countries, and involved approximately 1385 participants in 125 focus groups.

The discussions were conducted in countries recently or currently affected by armed conflict. The online survey received 385 responses from a total of 92 different countries, a majority of which (78%) were from developing countries.

The focus group discussions included children and young people who have experienced conflict themselves, with many of the participants speaking about how their own lives have been affected. Facilitators tried to ensure a safe environment, to use the local language where appropriate and to create a certain ‘comfort level' for the participants despite the unique challenges in each country.

For more information on youth activities related to the report please visit the UNICEF site