Executive Summary
The regional consultations on the NA4P and the views of young people from across the region canvassed in this report are the first of its kind and as such establish a model on how to take the New Agenda for Peace and its YPS dimension forward. Specifically, the insights and outcomes generated from these dialogues will be channeled into key international and regional platforms, including but not limited to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during Switzerland’s presidency in October 2024 and the AU PSC Open Session on Youth, Peace, and Security as well as the AU PSC-mandated annual Bujumbura Continental Youth Dialogue.
Africa is well positioned for advancing the youth, peace, and security agenda and the UN’s New Agenda for Peace. Beyond and above the normative commitment for youth in founding African Union (AU) instruments such as the Constitutive Act of the AU. In September 2018, the AU inaugurated the Youth for Peace (Y4P) Africa initiative aimed at discouraging youth from resorting to violence and enabling their meaningful involvement in peace and security. In November 2018, the AU Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) institutionalized the YPS agenda through an annual open session dedicated to the theme. This session led to the establishment of various structures, including the African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAPs), and urged Member States to create national action plans to facilitate youth involvement in peace efforts. Globally, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recognized the pivotal role of youth in peacebuilding with the adoption of UNSC Resolution 2250 in December 2015 and subsequently 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020). This recognition was echoed in the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Our Common Agenda,’ released in September 2021, which positions youth at the forefront of global priorities. The New Agenda for Peace, produced by the Secretary-General in 2023 in pursuit of Our Common Agenda, seeks to address the root causes of conflict and enhance global security measures. Progress in implementing the YPS agenda has been significant, particularly in Africa, where young peacebuilders have played a vital role in addressing the causes and resolution of conflict under the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda. It is important to understand the role of YPS in achieving the tenets of international norms and principles; in essence the nexus between YPS and (re)building trust in multilateralism. It is within this context that the African Union Commission’s (AUC) Department for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), in partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland in Addis Ababa and Amani Africa Media and Research Services (Amani Africa), initiated a project to foster structured dialogue with African youth on the nexus between YPS and the New Agenda for Peace. Accordingly, regional dialogues were held between 31 July and 7 August 2024 across Central, East, North, South and West Africa. These dialogues provided a platform for young people to share their perspectives on the future of peace and security in Africa and globally. The regional consultations were followed by a three-day continental consultation to synthesize all the regional perspectives and proffer practical recommendations. The outcome of these discussions will contribute to the broader conversations around the implementation of the New Agenda for Peace, ensuring that youth voices are central to the global peace and security discourse.
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