H. Promoting Youth, Peace and Security Through Sustained Dialogue in the
Horn of Africa (Lesson #2634)
Observation:
People aged 18-29 in conflict-affected regions are often feared as posing a security threat, excluded from
formal peace processes, or merely included in token gestures. However, these youth possess insights and
experiences that will lead to more sustainable peace. When included, youth can transform violent conflict,
as shown through the Life & Peace Institute’s work with Sustained Dialogue in the Horn of Africa,
supporting progress of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and
Security. Such dialogue-to-action tools build trust, improving relationships across divides.
Discussion:
In 2015, the landmark United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 on Youth, Peace and
Security (YPS) was issued. This resolution recognized that “today’s generation of youth [defined as people
between the ages of 18-29] is the largest the world has ever known” (p. 1), and that many are directly
affected by armed conflict. The resolution also affirms that “a large youth population presents a unique
demographic dividend that can contribute to lasting peace and economic prosperity if inclusive policies are
in place” (p. 2). Key pillars of YPS include participation, protection, prevention, partnership, and
disengagement and reintegration.
One of the provisions of the landmark YPS Resolution was the mandate to compile an independent
progress report to study what youth all around the world are currently already doing to promote peace.
YPS principles are especially important today given that the involvement of some youth in extremist groups
has caused many to consider youth in general to be a threat to international security. Most young women
and young men, however, are not involved in violence and in fact play active roles in peace. In order to
gather feedback for the progress study, various UN entities and partners held regional consultations with
youth from 149 countries. Furthermore, several organizations who have been involved in peacebuilding
with youth were requested to provide feedback and recommendations for the progress study.
One such organization is the international ecumenical organization Life & Peace Institute (LPI), based in
Sweden, which focuses on nonviolent conflict transformation through strengthening local capacities. One
of LPI’s major programs has been in the Horn of Africa, partnering with universities and local civil society
organizations in dialogue-to-action processes with diverse youth from across the region. Most of this
dialogue work supported by LPI in the HOA was led through its partner organization, the Peace and
Development Centre (PDC) in Ethiopia. The PDC was the first nonprofit, nonpartisan, non-
governmental organization founded by Ethiopian leaders focusing on conflict resolution, originally
established in 1991 to promote mediation among civil war parties in Ethiopia.
The African continent currently hosts the most youthful population in the world, although not all countries
in the continent utilize the same definition of “youth.” While UNSCR 2250 defines youth as ages 18-29,
the Kenyan Constitution identifies youth as ages 18-35 years, and the Ethiopian National Youth Policy as
ages 15-29. In addition, "youth" can have different connotations according to gender and parental
status. Regardless of the definition of “youth,” young women and men in the Horn of Africa (HOA)
experience barriers and exclusion from formal decision-making processes, as most high-level positions and
traditional cultural roles of authority are held by older generations. Furthermore, given ongoing violence
as well as some international counter-terrorism policies and restrictive national legislation, civic space in
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