Search for Common Ground The Role of Youth in Peacebuilding Community Decision making in Nepal Presentation by: Tejendra Pherali – Researcher Serena Rix Tripathee – Country Director

SFCG Mission SFCG’s mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict, away from adversarial approaches, towards cooperative solutions

Objectives of the presentation Share findings on role of youth in: -peacebuilding -community decision making Why it is important: Lack of youth involvement in peace building can jeopardize the peace process.

Baseline Districts Kailali Rukum Sankhuwasabha

Methodology Definition of youth: 14 – 25 years Questionnaires with 300 young people 21 focus group discussions with 144 youth and 95 adults Interviews with 45 youth Total sample size 489 youth and 95 adults

Youth in Building Peace Rural youth are not organizing to address the root causes of the conflict (youth in sports, cultural shows etc.) Youth do not see themselves as a part of the peace process and rather they pass this responsibility to the political leaders Though 41.2% claim to be involved in peace focused activity, merely 2.7% of them were always active in bringing people from across dividing lines together Rural youth regard ‘bringing people together from across diving lines’ as difficult and they do not see it as a necessary approach to solve problems The majority of youth are not involved in peace focused activities but the willingness to get involved in building peace is very high Adults do not see youth as having a lead role in building peace in Nepal

Level of difficulty in bringing people together from across dividing lines ( 1- easiest and 5 most difficult)

Youth in Community Decision Making Youth are generally not accepted as community level decision makers or problem solvers by adults: (Aago tapnu mudhako, kura sunnu budhako’ (Get warm by the log fire and listen to the elderly) ) Youth participation in community decision making was found to be very low. In average 23.71% youth are invited to the meetings of local level bodies – half of them to organize sports and fairs Community level political meetings – 7.7% Generation hierarchy

Youth as Passive listeners Adults lack trust in youth Organized youth engage more in dialogue with adults

A young respondent from Rukum said: “Mostly we are not invited to the meetings in which adults attend to solve problems in the village. But some youth may be invited if they are the responsible males in the family. This happens when the father is away from home. When there is no male member in the family, and one person must attend the meeting, then perhaps the mother will go rather than a male youth attending. In general, if a young person is attending a meeting he or she should keep quiet and agree to what elderly people say.”

Conclusion Youth have great potential to contribute to peacebuilding Youth in peace building is greatly associated with their involvement in decision making Youth are not listened to, rather they are viewed with prejudice by adults : immature and impetuous Big scope for youth participation in peacebuilding but difficulty in how they can play the role

Recommendation Some youth are looking for their roles in transition – risk of revealing frustration through anti-peace elements Urgent question: How can youth contribute to the peace process? National level youth and peace programs are urgently required Sustainable peace may be achieved if young people are given a lead role in building peace Youth leadership should be facilitated to influence both local and national level decision making

Full report may be available Contact: Tejendra J. Pherali Search for Common Ground Nepal Serena Rix Tripathee Country Director

Questions