UN-Habitat Assembly | Working Towards a Peace Dividend: Advancing the Measurement of Youth, Peace and Security | The Youth Cafe

Background

With rapid global urbanization, the future of humanity is urban; and thus, the future of violent conflict is also urban. At the same time, urban and rural areas might have different dynamics of crime and violence and thus require different type of approaches and solutions. Much of urban growth has been rapid and unplanned, with urban centres largely lacking the capacity to provide adequate opportunities and gainful employment, primarily affecting the young women and men. The emergence of a large un- and under-employed urban youth population provides immense opportunity for young people to play a key role in implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2250, particularly at the local level as articulated in the New Urban Agenda.

Of the approximately 1.4 billion people worldwide living in countries impacted by crises, conflict and fragility, 50% are under the age of 20 (OECD, 2015). Therefore, it is necessary that youth be empowered as active players of change, promoting social cohesion towards peace and security. The vision is to achieve safety and security by building strong and resilient communities and cities across the world.

Context

In December 2015, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted, Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS). This is the first resolution by the Security Council that recognizes young people as crucial partners in the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security. It also urges Member States to increase youth representation in decision-making and implement mechanisms to enable the meaningful participation of young people in peace processes and resolution disputes. Furthermore, the Progress Study for Resolution 2250 calls for consulting and actively including young people in defining concrete objectives and global and country-specific indicators to monitor progress and measure impact in the implementation of Resolution 2250. The current data gaps and lack of YPS progress indicators have provided a challenge for effective policy-making, especially at the urban-level. In this regard, the side event intends to bring youth together with various stakeholders to identify these data gaps, develop a set of YPS progress indicators, and identify effective and sustainable peacebuilding methods and policies at the urban level.

In line with the overall theme of the UN-Habitat Assembly and domain four (Effective urban crises prevention and response) under the new 2020-2025 strategic plan andreferring to the importance of a youth inclusive urbanization. UN-Habitat in partnership with local and national governments would like to discuss strategies and concrete actions to support the role of youth in the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2250 the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – specifically Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 16, Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, and Promote peace, justice and strong institutions, respectively.

Objective

• Provide a space for member states, young leaders and youth-led initiatives to identify innovative solutions to enhance the positive and meaningful participation of young people in peace processes, dispute resolution, and conflict prevention.

• Identify current data gaps and develop indicators to measure progress of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda based on the UN Security Council Resolution 2250

• Identify the existing evidence of how YPS contributes to the implementation of SDGs and Agenda 2030, and the most effective and scalable interventions.

• Discuss strategies and concrete actions to support the role of youth in the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2250, the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda.

Expected Results

The side event aims to identify YPS data gaps and produce a set of progress indicators for the implementation of Resolution 2250 and SDG 11 and 16, in addition to identifying effective, innovative and sustainable methods and policies to enhance youth involvement in the promotion of peace and security at the urban level. By engaging in and sharing critical analysis, the session will determine the gaps and opportunities for young people’s full and meaningful participation as positive agents and champions for peace and inclusive prosperity in cities and beyond.

Partners

This side event is organized in partnership with the Government of Canada’s Public Safety Department, UNODC, Interpeace, UNFPA-Somalia, UNSOS and IDRC.