High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes

20-21 January 2022

The High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Process was held virtually on 20-21 January 2022, co-hosted by the State of Qatar, Governments of Finland and Colombia and co-organized with civil society and UN partners. The event was made possible due to a generous contribution by the State of Qatar, and was co-organized by the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA/PBSO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Education Above All (EAA), and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY). 

The virtual Global Conference aimed to: (1) secure national commitments to advance gender-responsive country-level operationalization of the Youth Peace and Security (YPS) agenda, and (2) strengthen political will and commitment towards including youth into peace processes with particular focus on young women.

Interactive and action-oriented discussions convened across five themes between Heads of State and other high-level Government representatives, young peacebuilders, and representatives of intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, academia, and donors. 

The programme was structured across the following five themes:

• Youth, Peace & Security in today’s world – The world has changed rapidly since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security nearly six years ago. How can we tap into the transformational potential of the YPS agenda to address contemporary challenges relating to climate-driven conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, increased global push-back against the rights of women and girls and digital technologies, including the gendered implications of these challenges?

• Moving beyond words – How far have we come in translating the three YPS resolutions into reality, including for young women? Through action-oriented discussions centred on country-level operationalizations, regional cooperation, and resourcing of the YPS agenda from gender-sensitive perspectives. 

• Inclusive peace processes – As a next step to the 2019 International Symposium on Youth Participation in Peace Processes, sessions under this theme showcased progress on implementing the key recommendations of the Global Policy Paper ‘WE ARE HERE: An Integrated Approach to Youth-Inclusive Peace Processes’, including the inclusion of young women who face distinct challenges based on their gender.

• Inter-generational trust – With global youth protests and an erosion of trust in institutions, there is a strong need to have a constructive conversation about youth at the interface of state-society relations. This theme explored how we can build cross-generational solidarity and a new social contract, as called for in “Our Common Agenda” by the UN Secretary-General. Specific attention was given to the security dimensions of the YPS agenda, as well as the gendered implications of young people’s political and civic engagement.

• Youth in their diversity – There are unique dimensions to being young that often lead to distinct challenges, needs and opportunities based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, different abilities, socio-economic position among other factors. Additionally, opportunities provided by the YPS agenda in creating more equal societies by opening avenues for the participation of marginalized youth, including LGBTIQ+ youth, young refugees and internally displaced persons, and youth with disabilities were explored under this theme. 

The Conference has generated a “Joint Statement” from Governments of the State of Qatar, Colombia, and Finland, an online “Commitment Wall for Youth, Peace and Security” and “A Letter of Hope and Possibilities” from young people.