Youth, Peace and Security Agenda - Strengthening institutional capacity for implementation

This policy brief aims to support organizations working on peace and security to strengthen institutional capacity and operational readiness for accelerating the implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda. The policy brief aims to guide decision-makers, managers and senior officials on how to create an enabling environment within their own organization by providing tangible entry points and recommendations in six priority areas.

The YPS agenda has significantly gained momentum in recent years. Consequently, the number of international actors that integrate YPS related aspects into their mandates and operations has continued to increase since the adoption of the first resolution in 2015. There has also been significant progress in turning the YPS agenda into practice around the world. For example, there is a growing number of YPS-specific funding opportunities, youth participation mechanisms, programmes, and guidelines available.

However, the power dynamics and age-based discrimination structures that often neglect youth agency and exclude young women and men from decision-making have not yet been adequately addressed. Furthermore, despite emerging good practices, most efforts by the international community are still ad-hoc and limited to siloed youth specific programmes and projects.