1. UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 2250 ON YOUTH, PEACE & SECURITY Adopted on 9 December 2015

2. UN SECURITY COUNCIL ❖ The organ has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security to the Security under the UN Charter. ❖ The decisions made by the Security Council must be accepted and implemented by the Member States, which gives a lot of political weight to the Resolutions.

3. UN SECURITY COUNCIL Structure: Five permanent members (with right to veto): China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States + Ten non-permanent members elected for two- year terms by the General Assembly

4. BACKGROUND The statistics: ❖ Youth (10-24) are the largest sector that they have ever been - 1.8 billion ❖ Youth (10-24) represent over one-third of populations displaced by conflict and disasters ❖ Young people under 25 are the majority of the population in fragile and conflict-affected societies

5. YOUTH, PEACE & SECURITY Young people are involved in preventing violence, countering violent extremism, transforming conflict and building peace in their communities. However, their work often lacks recognition and support. This is how #Youth4Peace started...

6. #YOUTH4PEACE ❖ #Youth4Peace is a movement of young people involved in issues of peace and security ❖ It advocates for a new narrative on youth, away from the victim vs perpetrator dichotomy to youth as peace ambassadors, peacebuilders and agents for positive change ❖ It calls on the Security Council to adopt a resolution on youth, peace and security.

7. #YOUTH4PEACE Before the adoption of the resolution 2250, other milestones were achieved in the youth, peace and security agenda: ❖ The UN established the Inter-Agency Network on Youth development in 2010, which has a Subgroup on Youth Participation in Peacebuilding; ❖ The UN Secretary-General appointed an Envoy on Youth in 2013; ❖ The Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security, hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in August 2015 ❖ The Global Youth Summit against Violent Extremism hosted by US Department of State, in September 2015

8. #YOUTH4PEACE Important documents: ❖ World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY); World Programme of Action for Youth ❖ The Guiding Principles to Young People’s Participation in Peacebuilding; The Guiding Principles to Young People’s Participation in Peacebuilding ❖ Amman Youth Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security; Amman Youth Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security ❖ Action Agenda to Prevent Violent Extremism and Promote Peace; Action Agenda to Prevent Violent Extremism and Promote Peace ❖ UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism

9. #YOUTH4PEACE Some important stakeholders in the field: ❖ Youth-led organizations peace-focused organizations and networks; ❖ Civil Society; ❖ Member states; ❖ Intergovernmental organizations; ❖ UN Bodies: Peacebuilding Commission, Peacebuilding Support Office, etc.; ❖ Donors

10. RESOLUTION 2250 ❖ Adopted unanimously on 9 December 2015 ❖ Formalizes the Youth, Peace and Security agenda as a relevant political field ❖ Defines youth as persons of the age of 18-29 years old ❖ Builds on an existing movement of young peacebuilders worldwide

11. RESOLUTION 2250 The document is a global policy framework that ensures an age perspective in issues related to peace and security, including in peace processes; dispute resolutions; rehabilitation, reintegration and post-conflict reconstruction. That means that the specific needs of young people and their views will be taken into account in policies, programme, distribution of funds, etc.

12. RESOLUTION 2250 Content ❖ Preambule; ❖ Participation; ❖ Protection; ❖ Prevention; ❖ Partnerships; ❖ Disengagement & reintegration; ❖ Next steps

13. Preamble ❖ References and builds on treaties, statements and resolutions on Women, Peace & Security; Countering Terrorism; and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding; ❖ Recognizes the positive contribution of youth in working for peace and security; ❖ States that youth plays an important role in conflict prevention and resolution and that their participation is a key element for the sustainability, inclusiveness and success of peacebuilding efforts.

14. Participation The resolution asks member states to ❖ “increase inclusive representation of youth in decision- making at all levels (..) in institutions and mechanisms for prevention and resolution of conflicts” ❖ take youth’s participation and views into account in negotiation and peace agreements. That includes: ●considering their special needs; ●supporting local youth peace initiatives; ●empowering youth in peacebuilding and conflict resolution

15. Protection The resolution requires member states to: ❖ ensure the protection of young civilians’ lives and human rights in contexts of armed conflict, including refugees and internally displaced persons; ❖ further ensure their protection against sexual violence and gender based violence; ❖ investigate and prosecute those responsible for crimes perpetrated against young civilians, including genocides, crimes against humanity, and war crime;

16. Prevention The resolution urges member states to: ❖ facilitate an inclusive and enabling environment where youths from different backgrounds can foster social cohesion and receive support to implement violence prevention activities; ❖ create youth-friendly policies that promotes their participation in peacebuilding effort; ❖ provide youth with quality education for peace; ❖ promote a culture of peace, tolerance, intercultural and interreligious dialogue

17. Partnerships The resolution asks member states to: ❖ facilitate an inclusive and enabling environment where youths from different backgrounds can foster social cohesion and receive support to implement violence prevention activities; ❖ create youth-friendly policies that promotes their participation in peacebuilding effort; ❖ provide youth with quality education for peace; ❖ promote a culture of peace, tolerance, intercultural and interreligious dialogue

18. Disengagement & Reintegration The resolution requires member states to consider youth’s needs in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration activities, regarding: ❖ investing in youth employment opportunities to counter their marginalization; ❖ investing in building youth’s capabilities and skills to meet labour demands; ❖ supporting entrepreneurship initiatives from youth-led and peacebuilding organizations.

19. Next Steps Finally, the resolution… ❖ calls on UN entities to improve their coordination and interaction in order to meet youth’s needs during armed conflicts and post-conflict contexts; ❖ requests the Secretary-General to carry out a study on the positive role young people play in peace process and conflict resolution; ❖ further requests the Secretary-General to keep the Security Council informed on the measures taken in the implementation of the resolution.

20. Join this discussion... ❖ On twitter using the hashtag #Youth4Peace ❖ On Facebook on the group Youth, Peace and SecurityYouth, Peace and Security ❖ On your community, introducing the resolution to others and sharing its content as widely as possible This presentation is part of the 2250 Toolkit. For more, visit: unoy.org/2250-toolkitunoy.org/2250-toolkit