On 14 March 2018, the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth organized a high-level side event during the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event brought together representatives from the Member States, civil society organizations, and young people. The dialogue focused on the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda and the critical role of young people in maintaining peace and security at national, regional and local levels.

Young people’s, particularly young women’s participation, are key in conflict prevention and resolution

The side event was attended by heads of national delegations to CSW62, and co-chaired by the Vice-President from the Gambia H.E. Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang and the Minister of Equal Opportunities from Denmark H.E. Karen Ellemann. During this well-attended event, speakers engaged in an interactive dialogue and exchanged best practices on how to:

  • promote the role of young women in conflict prevention and sustaining peace;
  • share national practices and lessons learned in the implementation and review of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325;
  • offer recommendations on best practices to advance the implementation of Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda through the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250;
  • support the work of young peacebuilders;
  • help amplify the voices of young people for peace and stability.

Participants in dialogue call for action on young people in peacebuilding

Speakers noted that greater efforts are needed to include young people, particularly young women, in conflict prevention, disarmament, and peacebuilding efforts, and called upon governments to take on this task.

During the dialogue, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, emphasized that “the participation of young people in peacebuilding efforts is crucial to advance the WPS and YPS agendas, and achieve sustainable peace.” The Sustainable Development Officer at the World Federation of UN Associations, Mr. Pablo Angulo-Troconis highlighted, that the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2250 must include a more appropriate approach to gender stereotypes issues in order to contribute meaningfully to peace and security. In remarks from the Minister of Equal Opportunities of Denmark H.E. Karen Ellemann, she stressed that “young people and women are the majority of the population and engaging them in a meaningful way as central stakeholders are not only the right thing but also a way to enforce legitimacy and effectiveness of peace and stability processes.”

Similarly, in her closing remarks, Vice-President of Gambia H.E. Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang highlighted the important role of governments in including young people and women in peacebuilding processes, calling for more political commitment.