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We envision a new agenda that can fulfill our vision of building a world in which “human beings shall enjoy freedom from fear and want.” A world where human rights are not an abstract aspiration but an everyday obligation that must be upheld; a world without discrimination, where diversity is embraced, and everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources; a world where human dignity, human rights, and our planet are not sacrificed for the profit of a few in power.
The High-Level Global Conference on Youth-Inclusive Peace Process was held virtually on 20-21 January 2022, co-hosted by Qatar, Finland, and Colombia, and co-organized with civil society and UN partners. It began with a Youth Pre-Event on 19 January 2022, leading up to the Global Conference on 20-21 January 2022. The high-level conference aimed to secure national commitments to advance the country-level operationalization of the Youth Peace Security agenda and strengthen political will and commitment to including youth in peace processes. Interactive and action-oriented discussions convened across five themes building on the Youth Peace Security agenda between Heads of State and other High-Level Government representatives, young peacebuilders, and representatives of intergovernmental organizations, CSOs, academia, and donors.
It is now time to deliberate on the state of electoral preparedness ahead of 2022's general election in Kenya. Many stakeholders such as The Youth Café, Election Observation Group (ELOG), The Kenya National Commission on Human rights (KNCHR) as well civil societies, faith-based organizations, members of the public and duty bearers involved in the election process, have a vested interest in the upcoming elections.
The Youth Café was honored to be invited to attend and speak as a panelist at the 7th annual Devolution Conference held from 23rd to 26th November, 2021 in Makueni County. The Executive Director of The Youth Café, Willice Onyango spoke at the Prevention and management of conflict breakaway session whose theme was “Prevention and Management of Climate Change Instigated Conflicts: Collaborative Responses”.
The youth, products of their communities, are key agents of peacebuilding, especially those who have experienced conflict firsthand. These young people have key roles to play in peace processes since they have a clear vision of what peace could look like in their countries and communities and have the drive to work towards the realisation of these goals.
Earlier this year, The Youth Café was interviewed by Eliana Summer-Galai, a Masters student with the Institute of Global Prosperity at University College London (UCL). This interview was to provide insight into her research on the Kenyan Social Enterprise Ecosystem. The questions asked and our responses form a series of 8 blog posts dissecting important issues with regard to the Social Enterprise Ecosystem in Kenya. This is the first post of the series on more about The Youth Café.
A general focus on Africa’s performance reveals that Africa continues to drag behind most of the world in socioeconomic development, despite the widespread adoption and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Promoting participation in the formal peace process creates a safe space for the young people where they participate in inclusive, democratic and structured dialogues. This also gives young people the chance to develop youth-led organizations in peace, security and humanitarian action.
It has been an honor to serve Africa’s youth as the first African Union Special Envoy on Youth for the past two years and to engage thousands of youth from around the continent and the diaspora, visit countless cities and communities to learn from brave and passionate young people, listen to their stories of agency and hope and explore how the AU can better support their crucial work. These are young people that I shared a cup of tea with at the many youth engagements, we cried together at the struggles we went through, we laughed and danced together, we shaped the Office of the Youth Envoy (OYE) into what it has become today, by “Shaking Things Up”.
The mission of the global Coalition is to provide comprehensive guidance direction and support on youth, peace and security with the overarching goal of execution of the UNSCR 2250 guidelines into practice and to improve and amplify evidence-based practice, support and advocate for young people’s meaningful participation in peace and security efforts globally and locally. The Coalition started out as the Working Group on Youth and Peace Building in 2012.
