What are you looking for?

News

Strengthen youth as peace actors

An important step in advancing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda (YPS-Agenda) at the international level.
Gradikaa-Aggi | q3TryaToFYo | Unsplash

A new publication, written by a young peace activist, shows why real political participation of young people at the national and local level is crucial, how it can succeed, and why young refugees and women in particular need to be considered.

Security risk, sufferer or peacemaker, young people are ascribed many roles in crises and conflicts. One thing is certain: they are the population group most affected by armed conflicts worldwide, and this trend is increasing. In 2020, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2535, which for the first time commits all UN member states to ensure the participation of young people at all decision-making levels in conflict prevention and resolution – an important step in advancing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda (YPS-Agenda) at the international level. In this FES perspective, the author, herself a young peace activist, shows why real political participation of young people at the national and local level is crucial, how it can succeed, and why young refugees and women in particular need to be considered.

Mahanta, Rhea : “Political participation is key. How to strengthen youth as peace actors.” Rhea Mahanta. Issuing department, Division for International Cooperation, Global and European Policy Department, Bonn, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V., December 2022.

References
Share
Author
Get in touch
Do you have questions about this article, or would you like to contact the FriEnt team?

Related articles

[tag_names_card]

New FriEnt Website: Peace and development at a glance

The Working Group on Peace and Development (FriEnt) has completely revamped its website. With a clear thematic structure, simplified navigation and a modern, accessible design, the network’s work is now even more visible and easier to explore – for experts and anyone interested in peace and development alike. As before, the website is available in both German and English.
[tag_names_card]

New to the FriEnt team: Peer Krumrey

Since September 2026, Peer Krumrey has been part of the FriEnt team. He joins FriEnt on secondment from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), where he works as a programme officer for peace and security in the Division for International Cooperation, Global and European Policy. At FriEnt, he focuses in particular on peace and security as well as peace and development.
[tag_names_card]

“A conflict is not forgotten, because the headlines move on”

At FriEnt’s latest Forgotten Conflicts series discussion, held on 26 August in Berlin, experts and practitioners from Nigeria and Germany explored the drivers and consequences of violence in the country’s Northwest and Middle Belt. The discussion challenged narratives that portray the violence primarily as a religious conflict and highlighted the need to address climate stress, land scarcity, governance gaps and the erosion of livelihoods, while strengthening locally rooted approaches to peacebuilding.
[tag_names_card]

“Security is more than just military strength”: Catholic Responses to Armament and Crisis

The Katholikentag in Würzburg has shown that peace, security and development go hand in hand. In this interview, Dorothee Klüppel, a member of FriEnt’s Steering Committee and Head of the Africa/Middle East Department at Misereor, explains why security is more than just military strength, why justice, democracy and international cooperation are key prerequisites for sustainable peace and what special role church actors play in this – particularly in times of rearmament and geopolitical tensions.

Related articles