Young people play a critical role in efforts for building and sustaining peace. A growing body of evidence demonstrates their importance as mediators, community mobilisers and advocates collaborating across borders to prevent conflict and maintain peace. Through these roles, they strengthen the reach and credibility of peacebuilding programmed within marginalized communities; mobilize powerful social change movements; and employ innovative, intersectional approaches to peacebuilding and conflict prevention. The adoption of three Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) resolutions by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is strong recognition of the important positive roles and intersectional approaches by which young people contribute to building and maintaining peace. As such, the resolutions place meaningful participation and inclusion of young people at the front and center of peace and security.

UNSC Resolution 2250 also urges Member States to increase 'their political, financial, technical and logistical support [for] the needs and participation of youth in peace efforts'. Additionally, the UN General Assembly adopted the Financing for Peacebuilding Resolution in 2022, which recognizes the persistent challenges young people face in accessing resources. Specifically, it calls for 'efforts to address existing financing gaps for youth-led initiatives and youth organizations to ensure the full, effective and meaningful participation of youth in the design, monitoring, and implementation of peacebuilding efforts at all levels, and encourages all financing stakeholders to increase coordination and collaboration with youth on financing national priorities'. The current global population count sets the number of youth aged 18-29 at more than 1.8 billion- the largest age group in the world.

Moreover, youth often constitute most of the inhabitants in conflict-affected contexts.9 Ensuring that young people's participation in peace efforts is coupled with sufficient resources is therefore crucial. Renewed investment by Member States and other donors is necessary to ensure that the UN meets its commitments on engaging young people as equal partners in peacebuilding. Additionally, the allocation of existing funds within the UN system should be increasingly directed to YPS. Therefore, this article provides a brief analysis of the current state of financing for the YPS agenda, including youth-led peacebuilding, within the UN system, and outlines recommendations to strengthen these investments.

Read full article: Annual Plan 2025 of the UNOY

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