Introduction
Despite the lack of a universally acceptable definition of youth, today’s generation of young people constitute the largest the world has ever known, with more than half of the world’s population below the ages of 30. This number alone justifies the need for youths’ inclusion and meaningful participation in decision-making especially in relation to peacebuilding and development. However, global discourses on young people often centre on their involvement in conflicts and violence. In Nigeria specifically, they are usually regarded as perpetrators and major protagonists in most violent conflicts. Young people are seen as having little regards for constituted authorities and are incapable of playing positive role in the socio-political and economic development in their various communities and regions. However, though youths are vulnerable to violence and even sometimes involved in it, young people can also be an agent of sustainable peace and development. Evidence abounds to show that young people have actively been involved in the promotion of positive peace within their communities. Excluding them from peace processes therefore bears the risk of an incomplete and fleeting peace.
To that end, this paper discusses the need for meaningful youth participation for sustainable peace and development. This is particularly important if we hope to strengthen young people’s capacity towards implementing and actualizing positive peace in Nigeria. It begins by defining the concept of youth, peacebuilding, and sustainable development. After the conceptual clarification, the next section addresses issues related to the importance of meaningful youth participation in positive peacebuilding. It also provides some insights on how we can ensure meaningful youth participation and how we can make sure that young people have more than just a say on paper when it comes to peacebuilding and decision making processes.
Conceptualisation of Key Terms
Youth
The definition of youth is highly contestable as it varies across societies, cultures, economic and social contexts. It is socially constructed and thus needs to be defined within the given social context. My presentation however adopted the Nigerian concept of youth. According to the National Nigerian Youth Policy (2009), youths are defined as young males and females aged between 18 and 35 years.
Peacebuilding
We define peacebuilding not just as efforts geared towards creating a world without war and violence (negative peace). Peacebuilding for us also include activities and initiatives geared towards promoting socio-economic development and fostering psychological wellbeing, to the creation of a society where the principles of justice, fairness, and equity prevail, a situation that Johan Galtung referred to as positive peace. Positive peace for us can be connected to eight pillars which comprises of certain desirable socio-economic and political characteristics such as well-functioning government, low levels of corruption, high levels of human capital, sound business environment, good relations with neighbours, free flow of information, acceptance of the rights of others, and equitable distribution of resources.
Sustainable Development
Eneh & Nkamnebe (2011) defines sustainable development as the ability to meet the desires of the present generation without endangering the likelihoods of the future generation to meet their own wants. Sustainable development means social, environmental and economic development that guarantees ecological integrity, gender equality and social justice and the well-being and dignity of humans, both now and in the coming years (UN Women, 2014).
Why the Need for Meaningful Youth Participation?
I was privileged to attend the 2021 ECOSOC Youth forum. In the opening session, the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Gueterres stated that the world needs to move beyond platitude about young people and look for ways to meaningfully engage youths in matters that affect their future. In fact, one of the things that stands out in the discussions was the acknowledgement of the vital role of young people as agents of change and as driving force in delivering on the SDGs. All through the forum, we heard things like young people being the problem solvers who will find solutions to the existential challenges that humanity faces or will face in the future. We heard talks of young people being the defender of peace and the guardians of the charter of the United Nations and the need to invest in young people’s potential to build the next generation for positive change. We often hear that youths are the leaders of tomorrow but, youths are not just the future, they are the present.
Why then does meaningful youth participation continue to elude us and why is meaningful youth participation in peacebuilding and decision making necessary?
Young people are crucial drivers of civil society and as such, their collective voices are important for positive change and social justice. Young people often represent the majority of people in conflict-torn countries and are disproportionately affected by war- one in four people between the ages of 15 and 29 are affected by violence and armed conflict, with young men constituting 90 percent of direct conflict deaths. Youths are also marginalised and excluded from many strategic opportunities to share ideas especially at the local level. By supporting youth empowerment and initiatives, we lay the foundation for sustainable peace. Furthermore, when there is meaningful youth participation in peacebuilding and decision making processes, we are sure that there will be improved and sustained positive outcomes for youth.
The UNSCR 2250 which was adopted on December 9 2015 serves as a landmark document as it acknowledges the positive role of youths in the peace and security agenda. The purpose of the UNSCR 2250 was to identify and acknowledge youths as partners for peace, rather than as perpetrators of violence. It references the UNSCR 1325 on women, peace and security which deals with the role of women in conflict, the impact of conflict on the lives of women, and their participation in peacebuilding.
The first pillar of the resolution was participation which captures the essence of the resolution 2250 by enhancing the participation of youth in peacebuilding. This resolution asked member states to increase inclusive representation of youth in decision-making at all levels, and in institutions and mechanisms for prevention and resolution of conflicts. It also urged member states to support local youth peace initiatives, empower youth in peacebuilding and factor in the needs of youth when making peace decisions. It is said that the active involvement of youth is critical to achieving the SDGs and building a peaceful, just, and sustainable future.
Challenges to Meaningful Youth Participation for Peace and Development
There exists several challenges and obstacles that impinge on youths’ active engagement and participation in peacebuilding, some of which include:
Firstly, the lack of financial support. Youth led organisations involved in peacebuilding and development are often self-funded which presents a huge financial setback to the implementation of peace initiatives.
Secondly, the lack of active political participation represents another hindrance to youth peacebuilding in Nigeria. Their absence as political actors also mean that youths will continue to lack the opportunity and avenue to engage in peacebuilding activities at the national level.
Thirdly, youths and youth-led organisations continue to face negative stereotype by people seeing them as overly ambitious and incapable of fostering peaceful coexistence.
In general, youths are also faced with the challenges of education, employment, housing, identity, political participation, social integration and the politicization of ethno-religious communities, all of which hinders their active and meaningful contribution to peacebuilding. Furthermore, despite the importance of the UNSCR 2250 and its implementation by several UN member states, including Nigeria, there is still the challenge of translating the security policy into practice both locally and nationally, which acts as a limiting factor for meaningful youth participation in Nigeria.
Having said all these, how then can we strengthen young people’s capacity towards implementing and actualizing positive peace in Nigeria? How can we also ensure meaningful youth participation and guarantee that young people have more than just a say on paper?
Meaningful Partnership: Young people cannot do it alone. They need allies who will support them to translate their words into action. There is need for meaningful dialogue and partnership between youths and other stakeholders. They need political supports, platforms, intergenerational dialogue, financial and non-financial resources to amplify their work and ensure that they are not left behind in peacebuilding and decision making processes. Adult stakeholders should engage with young people, with each side seeing the other as equal partner in development. Other ways include equitable power sharing between adults and youths,
Engage with the many faces of young people: We should realise that youths are not a homogenous group and that there is no one-sized solution to addressing the challenges faced by young people because they have different experiences based on their background and contexts. Hence, it is important to hear from them and listen to them. We must engage young people in rural communities, especially those that lack access to internet and Information-We must ensure that their voices are heard.
Capacity Building: Capacity gap remains another challenge facing young people and without capacity, it will be difficult for young people to be able to do meaningful advocacy or even get relevant actors to respond to the issues facing young people. There is therefore the need to build and develop the capacity of young people. In addition to educational training and theoretical knowledge on peacebuilding, young people also need internships, mentorships and practical peacebuilding experience to ensure that they understand the trajectories involved in youth peacebuilding and decision-making.
Harness the Power of Social Media and Media Influencers: Utilise the various social media platforms to educate, inform, and empower young people. Use the platforms where young people communicate actively e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the likes. Create engaging contents that will attract them while also passing across the message you want them to hear.
Address the Root Causes that Affects Youth Vulnerability: Unemployment, Poverty, Capacity Gap, Structural inequality., Socio-political and economic exclusion, grievances. High rate of unemployment also makes young people vulnerable to radicalisation and violent extremist groups across the country. Peace cannot be built on an empty stomach and as such, there is therefore the need for Youth Empowerment and Development through the creation of sustainable sources of livelihood.
Create more opportunities for young people: Create space for youth to engage in governance, democratic processes, peacebuilding and peace negotiations, and in decision making processes.
Make youth own the process of peacebuilding and decision making: Allow them to participate in the process of generating solutions to the problems they face. Let them be involved in the various stages of peace and decision making programming, from the planning to the implementation stage. They know best the challenges that they face and the solutions that they need to solve this challenges so engage them in the decision-making processes.
Create a welcoming and an enabling environment for young people: There is need to create an enabling. Safe and inclusive space for young people to engage in peace and decision-making processes. Young people should be provided with access to socio-economic opportunities, technology, capacity building, and leadership training. They should also be provided mentorship and role models in the areas of career development and personal development.
The truth is that unless youths are treated as leaders of today rather than of tomorrow, their trajectories in peacebuilding and development would largely be underutilized or ignored.
References
Akhigbe, A.O., and Effevottu, E.S. (2020). The United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 and youth peacebuilding in Nigeria. In R.A. Lawal., A.O. Akhigbe and E.S. Effevottu. (Eds). Connecting and amplifying voices of youth building peace in Nigeria (pp.10-25). Ibadan, Nigeria: Building Blocks for Peace Foundation.
Effevottu, E.S. (2021). Moving beyond platitudes about young people to fostering meaningful youth engagement for sustainable peace: Lessons from the 2021 ECOSOC Youth Forum. Retrieved on 28th May 2021 from https://stephanieeffevottu.com/2021/04/23/moving-beyond-platitudes-about-young-people-to-fostering-meaningful-youth-engagement-for-sustainable-peace-lessons-from-the-2021-ecosoc-youth-forum/
Eneh, O.C., & Nkamnebe, A.D. (2011). Gender gap and sustainable human development in Nigeria: Issues and strategic choices. Asian Journal of Rural Development, 1(1), 41-53.
UN Women. (2014). World survey on the role of women in development 2014: Gender equality and sustainable development. New York: United Nations.
UNSCR 2250. (2015). UNSCR 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security. New York: UN.
Written by
Stephanie E. Effevottu
Director of Administration, Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, Nigeria