Enhancing Youth Participation in Peace and Security Decision-Making

The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda, anchored in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) and subsequent resolutions, recognizes young people as critical agents of peace rather than passive beneficiaries of security interventions.

Despite growing normative commitments at global, continental, and national levels, meaningful youth participation in peace and security decision-making remains inconsistent. In many contexts, youth engagement is limited to consultation rather than influence, and structural barriers continue to restrict young people’s access to formal decision-making platforms.

The discussion aims to bridge policy frameworks with practical experiences from regional, national, and grassroots levels.

This webinar seeks to critically examine:

• What constitutes meaningful youth participation in peace and security decision-making?
• What structural, institutional, and political barriers persist?
• How can institutions move beyond symbolic inclusion toward shared responsibility and influence?
• What practical reforms are needed in 2026 to strengthen youth participation mechanisms?

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Speakers: 

• Issah Toha Shamsoo, Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa, United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY)
• Natukunda Phoebe, TitleCountry Liaison Officer Uganda, Faraja Africa Foundation
  Amb. Roy-Stanley B.C.Nwafor, Country's Representative, Institute for Economics and Peace Nigeria