Young people play a critical role in sustaining and building peace in Africa. This virtual knowledge café presents recent policy recommendations, research and studies relating to young people’s participation in peacebuilding in Africa.
The knowledge cafes by the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security (GCYPS) are coordinated through the knowledge management taskforce, and aim to bring to the fore youth expertise, provide greater knowledge on youth, peace and security, and connect young people with the academic community and practitioners.
Time and date: 11:00am-12noon New York time, 2 June 2022 / 6-7pm Addis Ababa time.
Place: Online
Registration: https://undp.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qfuispjwtHtDaT03Y5GR21wbtLv9Co…
Programme
Moderator: Theophilus Ekpon, Centre for Sustainable Development and Education in Africa (CSDEA-Africa) and Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS).
Introduction
- Maria Stage, programme analyst, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Panel
- Key takeaways from ambassadorial meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission on youth, peace and security
Gwendolyn Myers, Founder & Executive Director, Messengers of Peace-Liberia Inc (MOP)
- Youth-led social movements and peacebuilding in Africa
Ibrahim Bangura, Senior Lecturer, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sierra Leone (TBC)
- Bujumbura declaration on youth, peace and security in Africa
Achaleke Christian Leke, AU Youth Ambassador for Peace for Central Africa Region
- Youth and peacebuilding in Africa
Pauline Deneufbourg, Youth Empowerment Specialist, Regional Service Center for Africa, United Nations Development Programme
Q&A
The Bujumbura Declaration
On 23 April 2022, more than 350 young women and men from across Africa participated in the Continental Dialogue on Youth, Peace and Security, hosted by the Government of Burundi, with the support of UNDP, and co-facilitated by four AU Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAP) and the AU Youth Envoy. A key outcome of the dialogue is the Bujumbura Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security in Africa, which captures the recommendations that emerged from the discussions and which was presented to the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union.
Book: ‘Youth-led social movements and peacebuilding in Africa’ (2022 forthcoming) edited by Ibrahim Bangura, University of Sierra Leone.
This book critically examines and analyses the active role played by youth-led social movements in pushing for change and promoting peacebuilding in Africa, and their long-term impacts on society. The book draws attention to the innovative ways in which young people continue to seek to re-engineer social space and challenge contexts that deny them their voice, place, recognition and identity.
Ambassadorial meeting of the Peacebuilding Commission on youth, peace and security
The Peacebuilding Commission convened 10 May 2022 for an ambassadorial-level meeting on youth, peace and security, including briefings by young peacebuilders and the United Nations.
About the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security
The Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security (GCYPS) is the leading platform for shaping global policy and practice on youth, peace, and security. The GCYPS facilitates exchange, coordination, and collaboration between organizations from civil society, including youth-led and youth-focused organizations, UN entities, donors, academia and inter-governmental bodies.