Former Armed Groups in Power and Post-war Youth Policies
This research brief discusses the role of youth in relation to rebel-to-party transitions and how to improve the inclusion of youth in such processes, bringing about genuine youth participation.
There is a growing recognition that youth are key actors in achieving sustainable peace in post-war settings. Still, both national political leaders and international policymakers often see large youth populations as a potential threat to stability. The main youth-centred strategy of former rebel parties in power has been to control and co-opt this population without opening up for genuine youth representation.
This research brief series has been initiated through a collaboration between the Politics After War (PAW) research network, the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA), and the United Nations Depart¬ment of Peace Operations, Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions: DDR Section (UNDPO/OROLSI/DDR) with the aim to provide research perspectives and scientific evidence on the inter¬section of DDR and politics with a particular em¬phasis on the transformative dynamics of armed groups and combatants.
Other publications in the series
The Political Dynamics of DDR Key Research Findings
Political Integration and Post-war Elections
Political Engagement by Former Armed Groups Outside Party Politics
Peace Agreements and the Political Integration of Armed Groups
DDR and Post-War Politics: Lessons from Northern Ireland
Rebel Party Organization and Durable Peace after Civil Conflict
Women and Rebel to Party Transitions
Ideological Moderation in Armed Groups Turned Political Parties