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Why are young people key to building lasting peace?

The unmatched connectivity, digital fluency, and civic mobilizing power of young people is critical for peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Young people are key to building lasting peace because of their creativity, grassroots leadership, and ability to use digital spaces to organize, prevent violence, and drive inclusive solutions to help sustain peaceful change across communities and societies.

Name one way your organization empowers young people to become agents of peace.

The (DPPA) empowers youth as agents of peace. Leading the second progress study on youth, peace and security, which is expected in September 2026, DPPA is working with youth around the world to include their ideas and visions on how they can contribute to peace and conflict resolution.

Moreover, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund supports projects targeting youth or led by youth in many communities. Between 2018 and 2024, the Fund invested more than $311 million towards empowering and supporting youth in 48 countries, consistently exceeding its explicit target of 25 per cent funding aimed at the inclusion of youth and women.

If you could bust one myth about youth, what would it be?

A common misconception is that youth are disengaged or disruptive but young people are highly motivated to contribute to peace and security particularly within their own communities - when they are genuinely given the opportunity to lead.

The evidence from peacebuilding projects is undeniable: in South Sudan, young peace champions, many of them women, lead mediations and civic education across the country, helping resolve local disputes, and shape peace policies and state budgets. In Montenegro, young people are actively engaging with local authorities, raising concerns and co-designing solutions that reflect their lived realities. In the Western Balkans, youth are taking a stand against fake news, misinformation and hate speech to cultivate a safer digital environment.

What is a 'youth superpower' you've witnessed firsthand, where and how?

Youth's superpower is their courageous conviction to demand a better future, enabling them to fearlessly adapt and lead change. In the western highlands of Guatemala, indigenous migrant youth returning to their communities, learned new tools and ways to measure the impact of local peacebuilding to improve their lives, while facing the arduous challenge of reintegrating into a community. In Somalia, where young people remain largely excluded from political decision-making, their voices muffled by structural barriers and generational hierarchies, they are mediating inter-clan disputes, promoting peaceful land use, addressing environmental tensions, and rebuilding trust.

What's one action anyone, anywhere, can take to support youth's contribution to peace?

One key action is to create opportunities where young people are genuinely heard, trusted, and supported financially. By valuing their perspectives, involving them in decision-making, and providing resources for their initiatives, we can enable youth to contribute meaningfully to peace, strengthen social cohesion, and build lasting trust in communities and institutions.